Early-passage human diploid fibroblasts (HDFs) undergo senescence-like growth arrest in response to sublethal concentrations of H2O2 [Chen and Ames (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 95, 4130-4134]. We determine here whether H2O2 can cause apoptosis in HDFs and the molecular changes that differ between apoptosis and senescence-like growth arrest. When exponentially growing early-passage IMR-90 cells were treated for 2 h with 50-200 μM (or 0.25-1 pmol/cell) H2O2, a fraction of cells detached at 16-32 h after the treatment. The cells remaining attached were growth-arrested and developed features of senescence in 1 week. The detached cells showed caspase-3 activation and typical morphological changes associated with apoptosis. Caspase-3 activation was H2O2 dose-dependent and preceded nuclear condensation or plasma membrane leakage. Apoptotic cells were mainly distributed in the S-phase of the cell cycle, while growth-arrested cells exhibited predominantly G1- and G2/M-phase distributions. H2O2 pretreatment induced G1 arrest and prohibited induction of apoptosis by a subsequent H2O2 challenge. The p53 protein showed an average 6.1-fold elevation in apoptotic cells and a 3.5-fold elevation in growth-arrested cells. Reduction of p53 levels with human papillomavirus E6 protein prohibited the activation of caspase-3 and decreased the proportion of apoptotic cells. Growth-arrested cells had elevated p21, while p21 was absent in apoptotic cells. Bcl-2 was elevated in both growth-arrested and apoptotic cells. Finally, although the overall level of bax did not change in growth-arrested or apoptotic cells, the solubility of bax protein increased in apoptotic cells. Our data suggest that in contrast with growth-arrested cells, apoptotic cells show an S-phase cell cycle distribution, a higher degree of p53 elevation, an absence of p21 protein and increased solubility of bax protein.
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April 2000
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Research Article|
April 10 2000
Apoptosis or senescence-like growth arrest: influence of cell-cycle position, p53, p21 and bax in H2O2 response of normal human fibroblasts
Qin M. CHEN;
Qin M. CHEN
1
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (e-mail chen@;pharmacy.arizona.edu).
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Juping LIU;
Juping LIU
1Department of Pharmacology, Skaggs Pharmaceutical Sciences Building, Room 130, University of Arizona, 1703 E. Mabel Street, Tucson, AZ 85721, U.S.A.
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Jessica B. MERRETT
Jessica B. MERRETT
1Department of Pharmacology, Skaggs Pharmaceutical Sciences Building, Room 130, University of Arizona, 1703 E. Mabel Street, Tucson, AZ 85721, U.S.A.
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
June 22 1999
Revision Received:
October 28 1999
Accepted:
February 15 2000
Online ISSN: 1470-8728
Print ISSN: 0264-6021
The Biochemical Society, London © 2000
2000
Biochem J (2000) 347 (2): 543–551.
Article history
Received:
June 22 1999
Revision Received:
October 28 1999
Accepted:
February 15 2000
Citation
Qin M. CHEN, Juping LIU, Jessica B. MERRETT; Apoptosis or senescence-like growth arrest: influence of cell-cycle position, p53, p21 and bax in H2O2 response of normal human fibroblasts. Biochem J 15 April 2000; 347 (2): 543–551. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/bj3470543
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