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p53/56(lyn) is a member of the src family that is predominantly expressed in hematopoietic cells and is thought to play a role in cellular proliferation. In this study, we demonstrate the participation of p53/56(lyn) in 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1, 25D(3))-induced growth arrest in HL60 cells. We show that the mRNA and protein levels of p53/56(lyn) are markedly elevated after 1, 25D(3) treatment, which is accompanied by an increase of p53/56(lyn) kinase activity. We also demonstrate that treatment with p53/56(lyn) antisense oligodeoxynucleotides reverses the 1,25D(3)-induced G1/S block, and results in an accumulation of cells with S-phase DNA content. BrdU pulse-chase experiments reveal that this accumulation results from an increased proportion of cells actively synthesizing DNA, which are inhibited from exiting the S-phase compartment. These results indicate that upregulation of p53/56(lyn) contributes significantly to the G1/S growth arrest induced by 1,25D(3) in HL60 cells and thus its activation may be a desirable outcome of chemotherapeutic regimens., (Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Isolated cell nuclei were used as the source of template DNA to investigate the role of a cytosolic aprotinin-binding protein (ADR) in the initiation of eukaryotic DNA replication. Computerized image cytometry demonstrated that the DNA content of individual nuclei increased significantly following incubation with ADR-containing preparations, and the extent of DNA synthesis is consistent with that allowed by the limiting concentration of dTTP. Thus, dTTP incorporation into isolated nuclei represents DNA synthesis and not parent strand repair. We found that dTTP incorporation into the isolated nuclei is dependent on DNA polymerase alpha (a principal polymerase in DNA replication) but that DNA polymerase beta (a principal polymerase in DNA repair processes) does not play a significant role in this system. Finally, neither aprotinin nor a previously described cytosolic ADR inhibitor can block the replication of nuclease-treated calf thymus DNA, while both strongly inhibit replication of DNA in isolated nuclei. This result, coupled with the relative ineffectiveness of nuclease-treated DNA compared with nuclear DNA to serve as a replicative template in this assay, argues against a significant contribution from repair or synthesis which initiates at a site of DNA damage. These data indicate that ADR-mediated incorporation of 3H-dTTP into isolated nuclei results from DNA replicative processes that are directly relevant to in vivo S phase events.

The initiation of DNA replication in T lymphocytes appears to be regulated by two distinct activities: one associated with proliferation which mediates initiation, and another associated with quiescence which blocks initiation. Activated lymphocytes and proliferating lymphoid cell lines produce an activity, termed ADR, which can initiate DNA replication in isolated, quiescent nuclei. ADR is heat-labile, has protease activity or interacts closely with a protease, and is distinct from the DNA polymerases. ADR activity is absent in quiescent lymphocytes and appears in mitogen-stimulated lymphocytes after IL-2 binding. The generation of active ADR appears to be mediated by phosphorylation of a precursor which is present in resting cells. Nuclei from mitogen-unresponsive lymphocytes fail to initiate DNA replication in response to ADR, of potential importance in the age-related decline of immunity. Quiescent lymphocytes lack ADR and synthesize an ADR-inhibitory activity. The ADR inhibitor is a heat-stable protein which suppresses the initiation of DNA synthesis, but is ineffective at suppressing elongation once DNA strand replication has begun. Nuclei from several neoplastic cell lines fail to respond to the ADR inhibitor, which may play a role in the continuous proliferation of these cells. At least one of these neoplastic cell lines produces both ADR and an inhibitory factor. These findings suggest that the regulation of proliferation is dependent on the balance between activating and inhibitory pathways.

The mechanism of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced cytotoxicity has been investigated using two clonal variants of the ME-180 human cervical carcinoma cell line. The clonal lines were characterized with respect to their expression of TNF receptors, kinetics of cell death, and their ability to communicate intercellularly through gap junctions. The ME-180.4 and ME-180.8 clones were identified by their relative sensitivity to TNF induced lysis in a 24-h assay. The dose of TNF required to kill 50% of the target cells was 60 pM for the sensitive ME-180.4 and 2.5 nM for the ME-180.8. However, when assay times were extended, the dose response for both clones was the same, indicating that a difference in the kinetics of cell death and not absolute TNF sensitivity existed between the ME-180.4 and ME-180.8 clones. Both clones were gap junction deficient as judged by their inability to transfer Lucifer yellow or 6-carboxyfluorescein, a characteristic phenotype of cells sensitive to cytotoxicity by TNF. The level of surface receptor expressed on these clones was nearly identical with a Kd = 0.3 nM and 5,000 binding sites per cell. Measurement of the kinetics of cell death revealed that the time between the addition of TNF and the onset of observed cell death (induction phase) was much shorter for the ME-180.4 (32-55 h) than for the resistant ME-180.8 (55-80 h). Mitomycin C, a DNA alkylating agent, significantly reduced the length of the induction phase for both clones, although the kinetic difference between the clones remained unchanged. Two epipodophyllotoxins, VP-16 and VM-26, which specifically inhibit the rejoining activity of DNA topoisomerase II, showed a 10-100-fold synergistic effect when combined with TNF as shown by isobologram analysis. VM-26 when added to the resistant ME-180.8 clones decreased the length of induction phase and abolished the kinetic difference observed with the ME-180.4 clone. These results indicate that the variance in the TNF response of these two clones was closely associated with DNA topoisomerase II, and suggest that this enzyme may play an important role in TNF mediated cytotoxicity.