Early induction of genetic instability and apoptosis by arsenic in cultured Chinese hamster cells

In order to assess at what time from the beginning of exposure inorganic arsenic can give rise to genetic instability and trigger apoptosis, V79-C13 Chinese hamster cells were treated with 10 microM sodium arsenite for 24 h. Under these conditions, cell survival was >70% and cells showed neither an increase in chromosome aberration frequency nor a delay in cell cycle progression. Investigations, which were carried out every 6 h during the treatment, revealed an early appearance of genetically unstable cells, namely micronucleated, multinucleated and mononucleated 'giant' cells, as well as apoptotic cells. Indirect immunostaining using anti-beta-tubulin antibody showed severe alterations in spindle morphology after only 6 h treatment, when cells with small spindles whose poles were inside the metaphase plate appeared, and after 12 h treatment, when cells in which spindle assembly had completely failed were observed. These cells, unable to complete mitosis, underwent apoptosis. In fact, cells which turned out to be positive in the TdT-FragEL test had condensed chromatin arranged in metaphase-like plates; their maximum frequency was reached after 24 h treatment. A cytogenetic study was conducted at the end of the period of exposure to arsenic and after post-treatment incubation in fresh medium for up to 5 days. It showed that the percentage of cells with 21 chromosomes (modal number of the cell line) decreased, making way for aneuploid cells. Arsenic, therefore, induced early genetic instability or apoptosis in dividing cells. However, while apoptosis tended to cease when arsenic was removed from the culture medium, the acquired instability remained and propagated within the cell population.