Objective: To investigate the effects of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK), protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) and protein kinase C (PKC) on apoptosis and observe the changes of cytosolic calcium ([Ca(2+)]i) of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) treated human leukemia cells NB4 and cortex neurons.
Methods: [Ca(2+)]i of NB4 cells and cortex neurons was probed with Fluo-3/AM, its changes were assayed with laser confocal microscopy in real-time after As2O3 treatment at different concentrations, the effects of PTK and PTP and the activation of PKC on these changes with confocal microscopy and phosphorus radioisotope assay. DNA ladders of NB4 cells and cortex neurons after exposed to As2O3 were observed.
Results: As2O3 at 1 micromol/L could remarkably increase the [Ca(2+)]i of NB4 cells but had no effects on neurons. Vanadate, a kind of PTP inhibitor, could promote the increase of [Ca(2+)]i treated by 2, 5, 10 micromol/L As2O3 in a dose-dependent manner. The mean total increase rates at 240 seconds after exposed to As2O3 at different concentrations were (6.5 +/- 2.3)%, (21.7 +/- 2.1)%, (49.2 +/- 2.5)% for NB4 cells, and (6.7 +/- 2.1)%, (19.4 +/- 2.5)%, (52.3 +/- 2.7)% for cortex neurons, respectively. Genistein, a kind of PTK inhibitor, could decrease the increase of [Ca(2+)]i treated by 2, 5, 10 micromol/L As2O3 in a dose-dependent manner. The mean total inhibited rates at 240 seconds after As2O3 treatment at different concentrations were (6.7 +/- 2.9)%, (25.6 +/- 2.5)%, (52.2 +/- 3.5)% for NB4 cells, and (7.8 +/- 3.1)%, (18.1 +/- 2.8)%, (51.3 +/- 3.3)% for cortex neurons, respectively. The activation of PKC began to increase as exposed to As2O3 at 1 micromol/L for 3 h, and kept rising continuously in NB4 cells and at 24 h DNA ladders emerged. However, none of the above results was found in human cortex neurons, but when exposed to 2 micromol/L As2O3, the activation of PKC and DNA ladders did emerge in neurons.
Conclusions: The phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of PTK and PTP participated in nonspecific apoptosis signal transduction pathway related to As2O3, and accompanied with PKC activation. The [Ca(2+)]i elevation was closely related to increased PKC activation. There existed difference in dose tolerances to As2O3 between NB4 cell and cortex neurons.