DNA denaturation in situ. Effect of divalent cations and alcohols.

Heat denaturation profiles of rat thymus DNA, in intact cells, reveal the presence of two main DNA fractions differing in sensitivities to heat. The thermosensitive DNA fraction shows certain properties similar to those of free DNA: its stability to heat is decreased by alcohols and is increased in the presence of the divalent cations Ca2+, Mn2+, or Mg2+ at concentrations of 0.1-1.0 mM. Unlike free DNA, however, this fraction denatures over a wide range of temperature, and is heterogeneous, consisting of at least two subfractions with different melting points. The thermoresistant DNA fraction shows lowered stability to heat in the presence of Ca2+, Mn2+, or Mg2+ and increased stability in the presence of alcohols. It denatures within a relatively narrow range of temperature, consists of at least three subfractions, and, most likely, represents DNA masked by histones. The effect of Ca2+, Mn2+, or Mg2+ in lowering the melting point of the thermoresistant DNA fraction is seen at cation concentrations comparable to those required to maintain gross chromatin structure in cell nuclei or to support superhelical DNA conformation in isolated chromatin (0.5-1.0 mM). It is probable that factors involved in the maintenance of gross chromatin organization in situ and/or related to DNA superhelicity also have a role in modulating DNA-histone interactions, and that DNA-protein interactions as revealed by conventional methods using isolated chromatin may be different from those revealed when gross chromatin morphology remains intact.

Different sensitivity of DNA in situ in interphase and metaphase chromatin to heat denaturation.

Heat denaturation of DNA in situ, in unbroken cells, was studied in relation to the cell cycle. DNA in metaphase cells denatured at lower temperatures (8 degrees-10 degrees C lower) than DNA in interphase cells. Among interphase cells, small differences between G1, S, and G2 cells were observed at temperatures above 90 degrees C. The difference between metaphase and interphase cells increased after short pretreatment with formaldehyde, decreased when cells were heated in the presence of 1 mM MgCl2, and was abolished by cell pretreatment with 0.5 N HCl. The results suggest that acid-soluble constituents of chromatin confer local stability to DNA and that the degree of stabilization is lower in metaphase chromosomes than in interphase nuclei. These in situ results remain in contrast to the published data showing no difference in DNA denaturation in chromatin isolated from interphase and metaphase cells. It is likely that factors exist which influence the stability of DNA in situ are associated with the super-structural organization of chromatin in intact nuclei and which are lost during chromatin isolation and solubilization. Since DNA denaturation is assayed after cell cooling, there is also a possibility that the extent of denatured DNA may be influenced by some factors that control strand separation and DNA reassociation. The different stainability of interphase vs. metaphase cells, based on the difference in stability of DNA, offers a method for determining mitotic indices by flow cytofluorometry, and a possible new parameter for sorting cells in metaphase.

Relation of mammalian sperm chromatin heterogeneity to fertility.

Flow cytometry of heated sperm nuclei revealed a significant decrease in resistance to in situ denaturation of spermatozoal DNA in samples from bulls, mice, and humans of low or questionable fertility when compared with others of high fertility. Since thermal denaturation of DNA in situ depends on chromatin structure, it is assumed that changes in sperm chromatin conformation may be related to the diminished fertility. Flow cytometry of heated sperm nuclei may provide a new and independent determinant of male fertility.

Spectrophotometric cell sorter.

A new device can physically separate cells of predetermined optical properties, from large populations of cells in suspension.

Cytotoxic test automation: a live-dead cell differential counter.

An appropriately modified cell spectrophotometer was used successfully for performing automatic counts of live and dead cells in the cytotoxic test, with trypan blue staining as an indicator of dead cells and light scattering to identify viable cells.

Effects of retinoic acid versus dimethyl sulfoxide on Friend erythroleukemia cell growth. I. Cell proliferation, RNA content, and protein content.

The effect of all-trans-retinoic acid (RA), an oxidative product of vitamin A, on cell growth, cell cycle kinetics, RNA content, and protein content of exponentially growing Friend erythroleukemia (FL) cells was determined and compared with the results obtained with dimethyl sulfoxide [(DMSO) CAS: 67-68-5; methyl sulfoxide], an inducer of differentiation, and alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), a potent inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.17) activity. Growth inhibition of FL cells was observed only during continuous treatment with RA. While RA did not prevent growth to a high cell density, if cultures were maintained in exponential growth, cell number was reduced by 37, 67.4, and 72.2% after 6-day exposure to 10(-7), 10(-6), and 10(-5) M RA, respectively. In comparison, 280 mM (2%) DMSO and 5 mM DFMO inhibited growth over the same time course by 92 and 97.3%, respectively. DMSO resulted in an early, transient (18-24 hr) accumulation of cells in G1 phase followed by a later (5 day), irreversible accumulation of G1 cells. RA required several cell generations (48-72 hr) before a dose-dependent G1 accumulation was observed. Two populations of RA-treated FL cells could be identified: one with an intermediate RNA content (T-cells) similar to near-plateau-phase control cultures and the other with low RNA content (Q-cells) similar to that observed for DMSO-differentiated (D) cells. The kinetics of the decrease in RNA content of Q-cells paralleled those of D-cells in DMSO-treated cultures; the proportion of Q- versus T-cells in RA-treated cultures was dependent on both concentration and length of exposure. DFMO treatment did not give rise to low-RNA-containing Q-cells. Protein content of RA-treated cells was also diminished and approached that observed for hemoglobin-containing D-cells. FL cells were recoverable from long-term (greater than 5 days) treatment with RA, though 2-3 days were required for reestablishment of exponentially growing cultures; apparently only moderate RNA-containing T-cells repopulated the culture. Neither RA nor DFMO treatment gave rise to benzedine-positive, hemoglobin-containing cells as compared to DMSO that induced differentiation in these cultures.

Natural history of adenocarcinoma-large cell carcinoma of the lung: conclusions from screening programs in New York and Baltimore.

A mathematical model of the progression kinetics of lung cancer was described and used to shed light on the natural history of adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma of lung from data collected in screening studies of male smokers by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. In both programs, estimates of the mean duration of early-stage adenocarcinoma or large cell carcinoma of lung ranged upward from 4 years, and estimates of the probability of detecting it in early-stage disease ranged downward from .16. The probabilities of curing early-stage disease through surgical treatment were found to be at most .52 and .13 in the New York and Baltimore studies, respectively. These estimates led to the conclusion that expected reduction in mortality from adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma of lung as due to annual x-ray screening from age 45 to 80 years is not greater than 18% in New York and 5% in Baltimore.

Effects of retinoic acid versus dimethyl sulfoxide on Friend erythroleukemia cell growth. II. Induction of quiescent, nonproliferating cells.

Treatment of Friend erythroleukemia (FL) cells in vitro with 10(-7) to 10(-5) all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) leads to a concentration-dependent accumulation of a subpopulation of quiescent cells. This subpopulation, termed "Q-cells," contained markedly reduced RNA and protein levels and had a cell cycle distribution with a predominance of cells in G1 phase, which was nearly identical to that found in fully differentiated dimethyl sulfoxide (CAS:67-68-5; methyl sulfoxide)-induced FL cultures. The G1 cells in this RA-induced subpopulation (G1Q cells), though viable, did not enter S-phase, whereas the small percentage of Q-cells with S and G2 DNA content progressed very slowly through the cycle. While the Q-cell population did not contain the differentiation-associated chromatin protein H1 degrees, the cells did manifest a more condensed nuclear chromatin, altered sensitivity to acid denaturation, and reduced accessibility of the DNA in chromatin to acridine orange. The extent of chromatin condensation and the number of free ribosomes versus polysomes in RA-treated FL cells were intermediate between those in untreated and fully differentiated cells, whereas viral budding and the number of nucleoli remained unchanged from those seen in the untreated cell state. The non-Q-cell population in RA-treated cultures, termed "T" (transitional) cells, had an intermediate RNA and protein content and a cell cycle distribution similar to those of control cultures nearing the plateau phase of growth. In the absence of any late markers of differentiation, the Q-cell population was tentatively identified as a unique, quiescent cell population not previously described in the FL cell system.

Effects of prospidine on survival and growth of mammalian cells in culture.

The effects of prospidine, chemically known as 3, 12-diaza-6,9 diazoniadispiro[5.2.5.2]hexadecane,3,12-bis(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl)-dichloride (NSC-166100), on cell viability, growth, and colony formation were investigated in several mammalian cell lines. Cell cycle progression and the terminal point of action of the drug were monitored by flow cytometry. Prospidine was cytostatic for two suspension cultures (Friend leukemia and L1210 cells) at a concentration of 10 mg/ml during the first cell cycle after exposure to the drug. Cells were blocked in G2 at lower concentrations of prospidine (e.g., 1.0 mg/ml) but only after 12--24 hours of continuous exposure, i.e., during the second cell cycle in the presence of drug. Cells could be observed to accumulate in G2 by 24 hours even if prospidine (0.1 mg/ml) was removed after 12 hours. A short incubation with a liver cytosol fraction (30 min) or with cultured cells (12 hr) failed to enhance the potency of the drug. Formation of colonies of the adherent Chinese hamster ovary cell line was inhibited by 50% following 24-hour exposure to 1.1 mg prospidine/ml. Under culture conditions in which cells were blocked in G2, their RNA content increased only slightly, but the incorporation of [5-(3)H]uridine into RNA was suppressed by 15--20%. Incubation of cells with prospidine increased the stability of DNA in situ to acid-induced denaturation, which thus suggested that the drug may interact with cellular DNA.

DNA/RNA content and proliferative fractions of colorectal carcinomas: a five-year prospective study relating flow cytometry to survival.

In our prospective study, flow cytometric analysis of cellular DNA and RNA content was performed on unfixed fresh specimens of colorectal adenocarcinoma taken from 176 patients. Of the 176 tumors, 113 (64%) were aneuploid. There was no correlation between aneuploidy and tumor stage, grade, location, or size. After a median follow-up of 5.6 years, no correlation between DNA or RNA content and patient survival was found. DNA content alone was not an independent prognostic factor when the colorectal carcinomas were segregated by curable and incurable stages. However, normal mucosa, diploid tumors, and aneuploid tumors showed progressively higher proliferation and higher RNA and DNA indices. Proliferative fraction--defined as the percentage of cells in S + G2 and M phases of the cell cycle--was significantly related to ploidy and to Dukes' stage. Despite these correlations, we did not detect a significant influence of proliferative fraction on survival when patients were segregated above or below the mean proliferative fraction for all tumors. More accurate methods of identifying the proliferative fraction of tumor cells are currently being pursued. While the role of flow cytometry in the evaluation and management of patients with colorectal carcinoma is still undefined for a number of other cellular parameters, it seems unlikely that DNA index, RNA index, or the proliferative fractions calculated from the DNA histogram, will, of themselves, represent independent prognostic factors.

Effects of 9,10-anthracenedione, 1,4-bis[[2-[(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]-ethyl]amino]-, diacetate on cell morphology and nucleic acids of friend leukemia cells.

Treatment of Friend leukemia cells for 18 hours with 9,10-anthracenedione, 1,4-bis[[(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]ethyl]amino]-, diacetate (ANT) at concentrations up to 1.0 microgram/ml induced significant changes in cell metabolism and structure. Alterations in cell nucleic acid content were detected in cells stained with acridine orange under conditions such that DNA and RNA contents could be measured simultaneously by flow cytometry. Cells treated for 18 hours with ANT at concentrations of 0.05-0.1 microgram/ml became partially blocked at the G2 phase. In addition, about 30% of the cells became polyploid and demonstrated diplochromosomes at the 8C level of mitosis. The nuclear chromatin of blocked cells had an altered structure as reflected by a change in sensitivity of DNA in situ to denaturation induced by low pH. All viable cells treated with ANT for 18 hours at concentrations of 0.4-1.0 microgram/ml were blocked in G2 phase. These cells had significantly more RNA than did untreated cells. Transmission electron microscopic observations of thin-sectioned cells suggested that this increased RNA content in ANT-treated cells was mostly due to an approximately 50% increased cell diameter and partly due to a disproportionate increase in nucleolar size. In addition, electron microscopy revealed that ANT caused increased chromatin condensation and granulation. The drug had no apparent effect on production of the endogenous Friend murine leukemia virus.

Ellipticine-induced changes in cell growth and nuclear morphology.

Twenty-four-hour exposure of Friend leukemia (FL) and L1210 cells to 1.0 micrograms ellipticine/ml resulted in a slowdown in cell proliferation, accumulation of cells in G2 phase, an increase in cellular RNA content, and an increase in the proportion of cells with greater than 4C (tetraploid) content of DNA in both cell lines. Removal of the drug and subsequent cell culturing in fresh medium for 24 hours led to a further increase in the proportion of cells having more than a 4C content of DNA, with no change in cell number, in FL cell cultures. Distinct micronucleation and an increase in cell size without any sign of cell division were seen in FL cells so treated. In contrast, L1210 cells after transfer to fresh medium reentered the normal cell cycle, continued to proliferate, and demonstrated only a slight increase in cells with greater than a 4C content of DNA within 24 hours of removal of the drug.

Dietary beta carotene and lung cancer risk in U.S. nonsmokers.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 15% of all lung cancer deaths in the United States (about 22,350 deaths annually) may not be directly attributable to active cigarette smoking. Consumption of beta carotene, which is derived almost exclusively from intake of fruits and vegetables, has been associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer in smokers. However, studies examining this association in nonsmokers, particularly nonsmoking men, are limited. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine whether dietary factors including beta carotene and retinol are associated with a reduced risk for lung cancer in nonsmoking men and women. METHODS: A population-based, matched case-control study of lung cancer in nonsmokers was conducted in New York State from 1982 to 1985. Dietary interviews were completed for 413 individually matched case-control pairs of subjects. To determine whether the relationship between dietary intake from specific food groups and lung cancer differed by type of interview, smoking history, sex, age, or histologic type, we examined data on the case-control pairs from each subgroup separately. The intake of beta carotene and retinol was calculated as the weighted sum of the monthly frequencies of consumption of food items containing these nutrients, where the weights correspond to the nutrient content of a typical portion of the food items. RESULTS: Consumption of greens (P for trend < .01), fresh fruits (P for trend < .01), and cheese (P for trend < .05) was associated with a significant dose-dependent reduction in risk for lung cancer, whereas consumption of whole milk (P for trend < .01) was associated with a significant dose-dependent increase in risk. Use of vitamin E supplements was also protective (odds ratio = 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.35-0.85). Increased consumption of the following food groups was associated with a reduction in risk among females: vegetables (P for trend < .025), raw fruits and vegetables (P for trend < .005), and dairy products (P for trend < .025). In males, increased consumption of raw fruits and vegetables was associated with a reduced risk for lung cancer (P for trend < .005). Dietary beta carotene (OR = 0.70; 95% CI = 0.50-0.99), but not retinol (OR = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.82-1.17), was significantly associated with risk reduction. CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest study to date of dietary factors and lung cancer in nonsmokers; results suggest that dietary beta carotene, raw fruits and vegetables, and vitamin E supplements reduce the risk of lung cancer in nonsmoking men and women.

Expression of murine gamma fetal antigen in adult hematopoietic tissue and during induced differentiation of Friend erythroleukemia cells.

Quantitative analysis of extracts of various normal adult CD-1 mouse tissues indicated that the serologically defined murine gamma fetal antigen (gamma-FA) was expressed at high levels in hematopoietic tissue in general and in bone marrow (BM) in particular. Metabolic labeling of isolated BM cells indicated that the BM was a site of gamma-FA synthesis in the adult animal. The size(s) of the antigen immunoprecipitated from labeled BM cells (35 and 27 kilodaltons) with anti-gamma-FA serum correlated well with molecular weight estimates of fibrosarcoma-fetal mouse-associated gamma-FA, as determined by molecular sieve chromatography. For ascertainment of the relationship between hematopoietic cell differentiation and gamma-FA content, a multiparameter flow cytometric approach was used to evaluate gamma-FA levels in Friend erythroleukemia (FL) cells as a function of growth state (blast or dimethyl sulfoxide-differentiated) and cell-cycle compartment. Differentiated G1-arrested FL cells (G1D) possessed significantly lower gamma-FA-associated immunofluorescence as compared to control cells in the G0-G1 substate. Remaining S- and G2 + M-phase cells in differentiated populations demonstrated an even greater reduction in gamma-FA content relative to control cells in the corresponding cell-cycle phases. The available data support the tentative classification of gamma-FA as a murine differentiation antigen.

DNA in situ sensitivity to denaturation: a new parameter for flow cytometry of normal human colonic epithelium and colon carcinoma.

Modal DNA (ploidy) and sensitivity of DNA in situ to denaturation by acid have been analyzed by flow cytometry of 10 colorectal adenomas and 35 adenocarcinomas; 39 normal mucosa samples served as controls. A new method was developed to denature DNA in chromatin of the freshly isolated, intact, and unfixed individual cell nuclei from surgically resected material. The sensitivity of DNA denaturation (T alpha) was assayed by metachromatic staining with acridine orange and calculated as a ratio of the alpha t index of the tumor sample to the alpha t index of normal mucosa; the alpha t index is that fraction of DNA, following treatment at pH 1.4, that stains metachromatically with acridine orange at pH 2.6. All adenomas were diploid and in nine of 10 the T alpha value was close to 1.00, indicating no difference from control specimens in DNA sensitivity to denaturation. Forty-nine% of adenocarcinomas were aneuploid. Forty-six% of adenocarcinomas differed from normal in sensitivity of DNA to denaturation; the T alpha value was lower than 0.90 indicating that chromatin of the tumor cells was more resistant to denaturation than control cells. There was no correlation between sensitivity to denaturation of DNA and incidence of aneuploidy. However, there was a correlation between T alpha and the pathologically determined stage of disease. There was increased resistance to denaturation in 58% of tumors classified as Dukes' C/D stage, in 36% of tumors classified as Dukes' B, and in 20% classified as Dukes' A stage of the disease. Statistical analysis of these results revealed significant differences between distributions of T alpha in noninvasive (Adenomas and Dukes' A) versus invasive (Dukes' B and C/D) tumors with level of significance at P = 0.02. The data suggest that acid denaturation of DNA in situ may be a valuable adjunct in assessing the biology of colon cancer. The molecular basis for this phenomenon is discussed.

Cell cycle-related expression of p120 nucleolar antigen in normal human lymphocytes and in cells of HL-60 and MOLT-4 leukemic lines: effects of methotrexate, camptothecin, and teniposide.

Expression of the proliferation-associated nucleolar antigen p120 was studied by flow cytometry in human quiescent and phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes, as well as in human lymphocytic (MOLT-4) and promyelocytic (HL-60) cell lines. Bivariate analysis of p120 and DNA content made it possible to correlate p120 expression with cell position in the cycle. Proliferating lymphocytes and MOLT-4 and HL-60 cells had a similar pattern of p120 expression. Populations of G1 cells, in all three cell types, were very heterogenous with respect to p120, and a threshold in G1 was observed. The cells with a p120 level below the threshold value did not enter S phase. An increase in p120 was observed during progression through S phase, and the antigen was maximally expressed in G2 cells. The p120/DNA content ratio, however, was highest in late G1 cells (G1B) and was declining during S and G2. The data thus suggest that p120 may be degraded during mitosis and that the postmitotic cells inherit little, if any, of this protein; the antigen then accumulates predominantly during G1, and must reach a threshold level to enable the cells to enter S phase. Antigen p120 could not be detected in noncycling lymphocytes nor in HL-60 cells induced to myeloid differentiation by growth in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide. Treatment of MOLT-4 cells with pharmacological concentrations of methotrexate, camptothecin, or teniposide induced cell arrest in S or G2; expression of p120 in the arrested cells was unchanged from that of untreated MOLT-4 controls at the same phase of the cycle. The level of p120 was minimal in MOLT-4 or HL-60 cells arrested in M phase by vinblastine, but vinblastine had no effect on p120 fluorescence of interphase cells. Camptothecin or teniposide induced apoptosis selectively in S phase of HL-60 cells; apoptotic cells from camptothecin-treated cultures, however, despite the marked nucleolysis, still expressed p120. The data on the drug-treated cells indicate that the p120 level in tumors of patients may be used as a marker of tumor/malignancy even in clinical samples obtained during treatment.

Effects of the L isomer (+)-1,2-bis(3,5-dioxopiperazine-1-yl)propane on cell survival and cell cycle progression of cultured mammalian cells.

The effects of the L isomer (+)-1,2-bis(3,5-dioxopiperazine-1-yl)propane (ICRF 159; NSC 169780) on cell viability, growth, and progression through the cell cycle were investigated in suspension cultures of murine leukemia (Friend leukemia and L1210) cells and normal human lymphocytes stimulated with phytohemagglutinin and in adherent cultures derived from human neuroblastoma and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. CHO cell colony formation was inhibited by 50% following either an 8.5-hr exposure of exponentially growing cells to 10 micrograms ICRF 159 per ml or a 24-hr exposure to 3 micrograms ICRF 159 per ml. This effect was cell cycle phase specific; early G1- and G2-phase cells were more sensitive than were late-G1- or early and mid-S-phase CHO cells. Stationary-phase CHO cells were unaffected by the drug at concentrations up to 500 micrograms/ml. Incubation of L1210 cells with 3 micrograms ICRF 159 per ml for 24 hr or with 10 micrograms ICRF 159 per ml for 6 hr inhibited cell growth by 50%. In contrast, 24-hr incubation of human lymphocytes with up to 50 micrograms ICRF 159 per ml had no effect on their viability or on their ability to be stimulated by phytohemagglutinin. Constant exposure of Friend leukemia, L1210, human neuroblastoma, and phytohemagglutinin-stimulated human lymphocytes to 10.0 to 50 micrograms ICRF 159 per ml resulted in inhibition of cell division which led to cell growth at higher ploidy levels. Thus, proliferating human cells of normal or tumor origin and murine leukemic cell lines all had a similar sensitivity to the drug. Detailed analysis of cell cycle progression in L1210 cells in the presence of the drug determined that cell progression through G1 phase (G1A to G1B transition) was slowed by approximately 50%. The rate of traverse of cells through S phase was also slowed. However, the most pronounced effect was the accumulation of cells in G2 phase occurring almost immediately after addition of the drug. The data suggest that the L isomer has a range of cytotoxicity and identical cytokinetic effects similar to that of the clinically tested racemate (+/-)-ICRF 159 (NSC 129943) and, therefore, that the more soluble L isomer may have increased clinical applicability.

Effects of a new amsacrine derivative, N-5-dimethyl-9-(2-methoxy-4-methylsulfonylamino)phenylamino-4- acridinecarboxamide, on cultured mammalian cells.

The effects of N-5-dimethyl-9-(2-methoxy-4-methylsulfonylamino)-phenylamino-4- acridinecarboxamide (CI-921; NSC 343499), a lipophilic and water-soluble derivative of amsacrine (NSC 249992), on cell viability, growth, clonogenicity, and progression through the cell cycle were investigated in suspension cultures of Friend erythroleukemic cells and in in suspension cultures of Friend erythroleukemic cells and in adherent cultures of Chinese hamster ovary cells. CI-921 was less toxic toward stationary than toward exponentially growing Chinese hamster ovary cells; colony formation was inhibited by 50% following a 1-h pulse of 190 versus 80 nM CI-921, respectively. Cell viability was unaffected in Friend erythroleukemic cell cultures at concentrations up to 50 nM, although growth was inhibited by 50% following 24 h of continuous exposure to 9.5 nM or a 1 h pulse of 67.5 nM CI-921. Constant exposure of Friend erythroleukemic cells to 10 nM CI-921 slowed proliferation and resulted in prolongation of cell transit through late S and G2 phases. Higher drug concentrations (50 nM) caused a complete cessation of growth marked by greatly suppressed cell transit through S phase and an irreversible block in G2 phase, about 30 min prior to division. In such cases, unbalanced growth was observed with total RNA and protein content of drug-treated cells increasing by 74 and 34%, respectively. Pulse exposure of cells to CI-921 resulted in transient accumulations of cells in S and/or G2 phase depending upon dose. The cell cycle distribution of stationary cultures treated for 1 h with drug and replated at a low cell density were identical to that of controls. Binding of the drug affected the sensitivity of DNA in situ to acid denaturing conditions which provides additional evidence that CI-921 binds to DNA by intercalation.

Effect of swainsonine on stimulation and cell cycle progression of human lymphocytes.

The indolizidine alkaloid swainsonine (SW) is an inhibitor of lysosomal alpha-mannosidase reported to have antimetastatic activity in animal models. The cells grown in its presence develop truncated (hybrid) surface oligosaccharides that may alter their functional properties dependent on interactions of various ligands with membrane receptors. In the present study we observe that SW enhances stimulation of human lymphocytes induced by suboptimal concentration of concanavalin A. The enhancement is manifested by an increased proportion of cells undergoing transition from G0 (G1Q) to G1 and progressing through the cell cycle (S + G2 + M). In contrast, SW suppresses stimulation of lymphocytes by phytohemagglutinin, and the degree of suppression is greater when measured by the number of cells progressing through the cell cycle (S + G2 + M) than by the proportion of cells entering G1 phase. The suppression remains evident even when SW is added 12 h after phytohemagglutinin, suggesting that SW modifies membrane receptors that develop in G1 and are necessary for cell entrance to S phase. The modification of receptors by SW thus up-regulates stimulation by concanavalin A and down-regulates stimulation by phytohemagglutinin. SW has no effect on lymphocyte stimulation induced by OKT3 monoclonal antibody or on the progression of cells from three leukemic cell lines, HL-60, L1210, and MOLT-4, through the cell cycle. The present data are compatible with the possibility that the reported suppression of the growth of metastatic mouse tumors by SW may be due to the immunomodulatory properties of this alkaloid.

Nucleic acid content and nuclear chromatin structure of human bladder cell culture lines as studied by flow cytofluorometry.

Two human bladder cell lines, T-24 and HCV-29, are studied with flow cytofluorometry and acridine orange staining to determine relative DNA and RNA content per cell and to measure resistance to thermal denaturation of DNA in situ. The RNA/DNA ratio for HCV-29 is over twofold higher than that for T-24, a difference that is consistent with the differences in cytological morphology and staining characteristics of these two cell lines and is sufficient to distinguish them completely, although measurements of DNA or RNA alone may not. In addition, the two cell lines show differences in DNA "melting" curves that indicate structural or conformational differences in nuclear chromatin. It is evident that the features are related to nuclear and cellular morphology, and they may be of value as additional parameters for characterizing tissue culture cell lines.