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Identification of Intracellular Signaling Events Induced in Viable Cells by Interaction with Neighboring Cells Undergoing Apoptotic Cell Death
09:18

Identification of Intracellular Signaling Events Induced in Viable Cells by Interaction with Neighboring Cells Undergoing Apoptotic Cell Death

Published on: December 27, 2016

Fragmentation of cellular DNA is a nonspecific indicator of responsiveness to tumor necrosis factor

B Y Rubin1, S L Anderson, R M Lunn

  • 1Department of Lymphokine Biology, New York Blood Center, New York 10021.

Journal of Biological Response Modifiers
|October 1, 1989
PubMed

Insights

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and lymphotoxin (LT) induce DNA fragmentation in sensitive cells. This DNA fragmentation is a nonspecific effect of cell death, observed across various treatments like interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and nutrient deprivation.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and lymphotoxin (LT) are cytokines known to induce programmed cell death.
  • TNF-sensitive cells exhibit DNA degradation into fragments of approximately 200 base pairs upon treatment with TNF or LT.
  • The specificity of this DNA fragmentation mechanism requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if the DNA fragmentation induced by TNF/LT is a specific effect or a general marker of cell death.
  • To investigate the DNA fragmentation patterns in cells undergoing death induced by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and nutrient deprivation.

Main Methods:

  • Cells sensitive to TNF/LT were treated with TNF or LT, IFN-gamma, or cultured until media exhaustion.
  • DNA fragmentation patterns were analyzed by gel electrophoresis.
  • Antibodies against TNF, LT, and IFN-gamma were used to block specific cytokine effects.

Main Results:

  • Treatment with TNF or LT resulted in DNA fragmentation into multiples of approximately 200 base pairs.
  • Cells undergoing IFN-gamma-induced death or death due to media exhaustion also showed DNA fragmentation into multiples of 200 base pairs.
  • Antibodies against TNF/LT did not inhibit IFN-gamma-induced DNA fragmentation, and antibodies against IFN-gamma, TNF, and LT did not inhibit DNA fragmentation in cells dying from media exhaustion.

Conclusions:

  • The observed DNA fragmentation into multiples of 200 base pairs is not specific to TNF/LT treatment.
  • This DNA fragmentation is a general characteristic of cellular demise, irrespective of the inducing agent.
  • The study suggests that DNA fragmentation is a common, nonspecific endpoint of various cell death pathways.

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