Objective: To investigate the influence of valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, on cell cycle of Kasumi-1 cells, and explore its molecular mechanism.
Methods: Kasumi-1 cells were treated with VPA at different concentration and different time cell cycle changes were analyzed by flow cytometry. Cyclin D1 and p21(WAF1/CIP) gene, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, were determined by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot.
Results: (1) VPA blocked the Kasumi-1 cells in G(0)/G(1) phase. (2) Compared with control group, 3 mmol/L VPA treated Kasumi-1 cells for different times caused their mRNA expression of cyclin D1 decreased. Treated with VPA at different concentration for 3 days, the mRNA expression decreased in a dose-dependent manner. (3) VPA induced p21(WAF1/CIP) mRNA expression increased in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The p21(WAF1/CIP) protein increased with increasing concentration of VPA at day 3. The p21(WAF1/CIP) protein significantly increased with 3 mmol/L VPA treatment for 2 d (2.498 +/- 0.240).
Conclusion: VPA can arrest Kasumi-1 cell in G(0)/G(1) phase through the regulation of cyclin D1 and p21(WAF1/CIP).