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Cell susceptibility to apoptosis by glutamine deprivation and rescue: Survival and apoptotic death in cultured lymphoma-leukemia cell lines

Authors :
Roberta Alfieri
Angelo F. Borghetti
Pier Giorgio Petronini
Guido Guidotti
S. Urbani
Source :
Journal of Cellular Physiology. 169:175-185
Publication Year :
1996
Publisher :
Wiley, 1996.

Abstract

Human leukemia/lymphoma cells maintained in culture medium without provision of fresh nutrients lose viability and die by a process resembling apoptosis within a few days. Upon incubation in an FCS-supplemented RPMI 1640 medium containing 2 mM L-glutamine CEM, Namalwa, HL-60 and U937 cells, seeded at initial densities of 0.2 to 1 x 10(6) cells/ml, ceased growing within 3-5 days and progressively entered an apoptotic pathway, as assessed by nucleosomal DNA fragmentation and morphology. Both the major energy-source nutrients in the medium, glucose and glutamine, became rapidly exhausted during the incubation. Further studies were performed using CEM cells. Incubation in glutamine-free or glucose-free medium renewed every 24 h showed that glutamine deprivation is associated with cell death by apoptosis independent of energetic failure, whereas glucose deprivation is followed by rapid loss of mitochondrial function with sharp drop of intracellular ATP and cell death by necrosis. A 12-24 h incubation in glutamine-depleted medium was required to direct the cells toward the apoptotic pathway. Growth arrest followed by apoptotic death was detected in CEM cells when medium glutamine concentration remained below 0.3-0.4 mM for at least 24 h, but a reinstatement of medium glutamine to 2 mM within this period rescued the cells from growth arrest and death.

Details

ISSN :
10974652 and 00219541
Volume :
169
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Journal of Cellular Physiology
Accession number :
edsair.doi...........cc50e13da2c43aeff41bf1a179beb05f
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1097-4652(199610)169:1<175::aid-jcp18>3.0.co;2-c