Protein-energy malnutrition halts hemopoietic progenitor cells in the G0/G1 cell cycle stage, thereby altering cell production rates

Protein energy malnutrition (PEM) is a syndrome that often results in immunodeficiency coupled with pancytopenia. Hemopoietic tissue requires a high nutrient supply and the proliferation, differentiation and maturation of cells occur in a constant and balanced manner, sensitive to the demands of specific cell lineages and dependent on the stem cell population. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of PEM on some aspects of hemopoiesis, analyzing the cell cycle of bone marrow cells and the percentage of progenitor cells in the bone marrow. Two-month-old male Swiss mice (N = 7-9 per group) were submitted to PEM with a low-protein diet (4 percent) or were fed a control diet (20 percent protein) ad libitum. When the experimental group had lost about 20 percent of their original body weight after 14 days, we collected blood and bone marrow cells to determine the percentage of progenitor cells and the number of cells in each phase of the cell cycle. Animals of both groups were stimulated with 5-fluorouracil. Blood analysis, bone marrow cell composition and cell cycle evaluation was performed after 10 days. Malnourished animals presented anemia, reticulocytopenia and leukopenia. Their bone marrow was hypocellular and depleted of progenitor cells. Malnourished animals also presented more cells than normal in phases G0 and G1 of the cell cycle. Thus, we conclude that PEM leads to the depletion of progenitor hemopoietic populations and changes in cellular development. We suggest that these changes are some of the primary causes of pancytopenia in cases of PEM.

G2 repair and evaluation of the cytogenetic damage induced by low doses of X-irradiation during G0 in human lymphocytes [published erratum appears in Biol Res 1996; 29(1): 165]

In the present study two cytogenetic parameters were used to evaluate the DNA damage induced by low doses (1 up to 40 rad) of X-ray irradiation in G0 human lymphocytes. These parameters were the frequency of chromosomal lesions in G2 and the length of this cell cycle phase. The frequency of chromosomal lesions in G2 was determined by scoring the number of chromosomal aberrations in G0 irradiated lymphocytes post treated with two inhibitors of G2 repair mechanisms: caffeine and 3-aminobenzamide. A dose-dependent increase in chromosomal aberrations yield was detected in G0 lymphocytes X-ray irradiated with or without post treatment with these two DNA repair inhibitors during G2. Nevertheless, the dose response in this latter condition was higher than the one detected in control cells, indicating that the increase of irradiation dose in G0 lymphocytes produces an increment in the number of DNA lesions arriving to be repaired in G2. The analysis of the dose-response relationships for G2 length showed an statistically significant X-ray dose-dependent increase (G2 delay) from 2.5 up to 40 rad and a positive correlation between G2 delay and the frequency of chromosomal lesions in G2. These results suggest that the DNA lesions induced by low doses of X-irradiation in G0 lymphocytes may be higher than that detected by the standard method (control conditions) and may be responsible for an increase in G2 length. We propose, therefore, that an analysis of these two cytogenetic parameters can improve the evaluation of the DNA damage induced by low doses of X-rays irradiation in G0 cells

Regulation of G0 G1 S transition: a genetic approach

A genetic approach was adopted to analyze the cell cycle G(O)(G (1) (S transition in mouse Balb/ 3T3 fibroblasts (clone A3l). We designed selection procedures to isolate revertant from the EJ-ras transformed Balb/3T3 ribroblasts that had recovered strict -control of the G(O) ( G(1), transition by serum growth factors. The aim was to uncover phenotypic traits associated with malignancy (high growth rate G(1) phase shortening and high tumorigenicity) that segregate independently.