Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 30, 2025

Immunofluorescence Imaging of DNA Damage and Repair Foci in Human Colon Cancer Cells
Published on: June 9, 2020
Clastogenic effects of streptozotocin on human colon cancer cell lines with gene amplification
Alejandro D Bolzán1, Martha S Bianchi
1Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular (IMBICE), Laboratory of Cytogenetics and Mutagenesis, La Plata, Argentina. abolzan@imbice.org.ar
Abstract:
We investigated the clastogenic effects of the methylating agent streptozotocin (STZ) on two human colon cancer cell lines. COLO320DM and COLO320HSR are cell lines derived from a human neuroendocrine colon carcinoma. STZ produced a dose-dependent increase in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in both cell lines (p < 0.05) and induced fragmentation and/or pulverization of COLO320DM and COLO320HSR chromosomes. This effect was dose and time dependent. Severe chromosome damage was also found in cells that had progressed beyond the first metaphase, and a higher percentage of metaphases showing pulverized chromosomes were found in cells after the second than after the first division. This seems to indicate that STZ has a persistent and delayed clastogenic effect on COLO320DM and COLO320HSR cells. In addition, STZ produced a marked depression of the mitotic index in both cell lines. These results demonstrate that human colon cancer cell lines COLO320DM and COLO320HSR are highly sensitive to STZ, and suggest that this antibiotic has a good potential as a chemotherapeutic agent for colon cancer.
Related Concept Videos
Mutagenicity and Carcinogenicity
Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...

