Lack of inverse dose-rate effect and binding of the retinoblastoma gene product in the nucleus of human cancer T-47D cells arrested in G2 by ionizing radiation.

PURPOSE: To investigate the radiosensitivity of human breast cancer cells, T-47D, irradiated with low dose-rates and to study activation of the retinoblastoma gene product in the G1 and G2 phases during irradiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cells were irradiated with (60)Co gamma-rays with dose-rates of 0.37 and 0.94 Gy h(-1). Cell survival was measured as the ability of cells to form colonies. Cells were extracted, fixed and stained for simultaneous measurements of nuclear-bound pRB content and DNA content. Cell nuclei were stained with monoclonal antibody PMG3-245 and Hoechst 33258 was used for additional staining of DNA. Two-parametric flow cytometry measurements of pRB and DNA content were performed using a FACSTAR(PLUS) flow cytometer. RESULTS: It was observed that irradiated cells were arrested in G2. No increase in radiation sensitivity was observed when the cells accumulated in G2. Irradiation of cells at both 0.37 and 0.94 Gy h(-1) resulted in exponential dose-survival curves with nearly equal alpha values, i.e. the same radiosensitivity. However, the retinoblastoma gene product was bound in the nucleus, i.e. hypophosphorylated, in about 15% of the cells arrested in G2. CONCLUSIONS: T47-D cells accumulate in G2 during low dose irradiation, but no inverse dose-rate effect, i.e. a more efficient inactivation of cells at lower than at higher dose-rates, was observed. A population of arrested G2 cells has pRB protein bound in the nucleus, and pRB therefore could play a role in protecting cells against radiation-induced cell death in G2.

Evaluation of protoporphyrin IX production, phototoxicity and cell death pathway induced by hexylester of 5-aminolevulinic acid in Reh and HPB-ALL cells.

Production of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) in human B-cell leukemia cell line (Reh) and T-cell lymphoma cell line (HPB-ALL) was studied by flow cytometry after incubation with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) or its hexylester in vitro. Cell survival and cell death pathway were also investigated in these two cell lines by cell growth curves, flow cytometry, and electron microscopy after ALA hexylester-mediated photodynamic therapy. Both ALA and its hexylester could induce PpIX production in the two cell lines, but ALA hexylester was about 100 times more efficient than ALA. Reh cells appear to be more sensitive than HPB-ALL cells to ALA hexylester-mediated phototoxicity. Apoptosis was the major cell death pathway of Reh cells, while necrosis played a major role in the case of HPB-ALL cells.

Protected peptide disulfides by oxidative detachment from a support.

A new and efficient procedure for the preparation of protected cyclized and protected symmetrical dimeric peptide disulfides is described. A thiol is immobilized onto a solid phase through coupling of the thiol function with a resin-linked trityl group. Following conventional peptide assembly using the Fmoc-strategy, detachment is performed by oxidation with iodine in a suitable organic solvent. When N,N-dimethylformamide is used as the solvent, and the peptide chain contains an acetamidomethylthio function, located N-terminally in a N alpha-(9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl), or N alpha-tert-butyloxycarbonyl cysteinyl residue, or occurring in the chain, then the corresponding fully protected cyclic peptide disulfide will be obtained in high yield and purity. In other solvents (e.g. dioxane or chloroform-methanol 1:1, v/v), the iodine-mediated oxidation gave not only the cyclic product, but also substantial amounts of the parallel symmetrical dimeric peptide retaining Cys(Acm) at the two identical N-termini.