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Bacillus intermedius ribonuclease as inhibitor of cell proliferation and membrane current

O Ilinskaya1, K Decker, A Koschinski

  • 1Department of Microbiology, Kazan State University, Kremlevskaya Street 18, 420008 Kazan, Russia.

Toxicology
|February 13, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Bacillus intermedius ribonuclease (binase) effectively reduces proliferation in ras-oncogene-expressing mammalian cells. This enzyme also inhibits calcium-dependent potassium currents in these specific cells, indicating a targeted antiproliferative effect.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Oncology

Background:

  • Bacillus intermedius ribonuclease (binase) is a guanine-specific enzyme with known biological activities.
  • Oncogenes, such as ras, play a critical role in cellular transformation and proliferation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the antiproliferative effects of binase on various chicken and mouse cell lines.
  • To determine if binase specifically targets cells expressing the ras oncogene.
  • To examine the impact of binase on cellular membrane currents in relation to oncogene expression.

Main Methods:

  • Treatment of normal and oncogene-transformed chicken and mouse cell lines with binase.
  • Assessment of cell proliferation rates following binase exposure.
  • Electrophysiological recordings to measure Ca2+-dependent K+ currents in treated cells.

Main Results:

  • Binase significantly reduced the proliferation of chicken embryo fibroblasts and v-ras-transformed NIH3T3 mouse cells.
  • Non-transformed, v-src-transformed, and v-fms-transformed NIH3T3 cells showed no significant growth inhibition by binase.
  • Binase treatment inhibited the Ca2+-dependent K+ current in v-ras-transformed NIH3T3 cells but not in other cell types.

Conclusions:

  • Mammalian cells expressing the ras oncogene are sensitive to the antiproliferative effects of binase.
  • Binase exhibits selective toxicity towards ras-transformed cells.
  • The observed inhibition of ion currents suggests a mechanism for binase's antiproliferative action in ras-expressing cells.

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