Sidestream cigarette smoke-exposure of mouse cells induces cell stress/heat shock-like proteins

Specific alterations in cellular protein synthesis have been identified in mouse L929 and B16 cells exposed to "passive" (sidestream) smoke freshly generated from unfiltered cigarettes. A decrease in both cell viability and protein synthesis was observed in monolayer cell cultures following exposure to increasing numbers (0-12) of puffs of sidestream smoke. With exposures that resulted in approximately 30% or higher loss in cell viability, there was an apparent induction of cell stress/heat shock-like polypeptides with approximate molecular weights of 88,000, 66,000 and 23,000. After exposure to higher numbers of puffs that led to a loss of cell viability of 80% or greater, a different set of polypeptides was synthesized, including a major new protein of 38,000 mol. wt and 2 other predominant proteins of 45,000 and 30,000 mol. wt. The same specific effects on cellular protein synthesis were also observed after exposure to a similar number of puffs of the gas phase of sidestream cigarette smoke (minus the particulate phase components).