Sodium butyrate blocks HeLa cells preferentially in early G1 phase of the cell cycle

The effects of sodium butyrate on the cell-cycle transverse of HeLa cells was re-examined using the kinetic and the premature chromosome condensation methods of cell-cycle analysis. The results of this study indicate that the sodium butyrate effects are dose-dependent and cell-cycle phase-specific. Cells in the early G1 period are the most sensitive to the inhibitory effects of the drug. When HeLa cells in exponential growth were exposed to a 5 mM concentration of butyrate for 48 h. 67% of the cell population was preferentially arrested in the early G1 period as indicated by the condensed morphology of the prematurely condensed chromosomes (PCC). There was no accumulation of cells in the G2 period. The results of this study suggest that hyperacetylation of histones induced by sodium butyrate does not necessarily result in decondensation of chromatin and the butyrate-enhanced protein, which has been reported to be present in butyrate-treated cells, may have a role in the regulation of the transition of cells from early G1 to the subsequent phases of the cells cycle.