Induction of apoptosis in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells by Ukrain and its synergistic action with etoposide.

The induction of apoptosis by Ukrain, a novel antitumor drug, was studied in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells bearing multiple copies of recombinant human erythropoietin gene incorporated into their genome (cell lines CHO-k38 and -k38/12). Ukrain was found to be capable of the in vitro induction of apoptosis in the cell lines studied. The effect was less expressed in cells with type I multiple drug resistance (k38/12).

Effects of Ukrain on the activities of DNA-nicking enzymes.

We studied the effects of Ukrain, a novel antitumor drug, on the activities of calcium, magnesium-dependent endonuclease (CME) and manganese-dependent endonuclease (MnDE) in rat liver nuclei, the activity of topoisomerase I assessed by pUC19 plasmid relaxation and CME activity in the nuclei of lymphocytes from colon cancer patients. Ukrain was found to exert a dose-dependent inhibiting effect on both CME and MnDE, similar to that exerted by erythropoietin, which was used as a reference preparation. Both Ukrain and erythropoietin also caused dose-dependent inhibition of topoisomerase I activity.

[Study of the spectrum of rabbit myocardium nuclear DNAases using models of ischemia and diabetes mellitus].

There were alterations in the spectrum of nuclear endo-DNAases in the rabbit myocardium on experimental models of diabetes mellitus and other diseases where the perfused heart was involved i.e. disappearance of the enzyme with 130 kDa from the control extracts was followed by a great increase in the content of low molecular forms in the nuclear preparations obtained from the ischemic heart, as well as that with 145 kDa in all the abnormalities under study.

[Nuclear endo-DNAse from rabbit myocardium in ischemia and diabetes mellitus].

The activity of deoxyribonucleases was altered in the myocardium of New Zealand rabbits under normal conditions, in diabetes mellitus as well as in various experiments, where model heart perfusion was carried out using media of various ion composition and pH value. Studies of Ca2+, MG(2+)- dependent deoxyribonuclease from myocardial nuclear extracts exhibited that protective cell mechanisms appear t be induced at the first steps of tissue ischemic impairments as well as that diabetes decreased cardiac sensitivity to ischemia.

[Characteristics of nuclear endo-DNAase from rat liver by molecular mass and cationic dependence].

Study of the isoenzymatic spectrum of nuclear DNase from rat liver demonstrated that the extracts obtained in the presence of the protease inhibitor, PMSF, contained four polypeptides with molecular masses of 120, 54, 31 and 28 kDa possessing the endo-DNase activity. Long-term storage at -20 degrees C and autodigestion of the nuclei revealed the presence of additional polypeptides with a lower molecular mass and possessing an endo-DNase activity. Treatment of rat liver nuclear extracts with trypsin caused the appearance of an active polypeptide (M(r) 145 kDa).