Neoplastic Transformation of Human Small Airway Epithelial Cells Induced by Arsenic

• DOI: 10.2119/2007-00090.wen
• Publication Date: 2008-01-07T19:58:04Z
• Authors: Gengyun Wen; Gloria M. Calaf; Michael A. Partridge; Carlos Echiburú-Chau; Yongliang Zhao; Sarah Huang; Yunfei Chai; Bingyan Li; Burong Hu; Tom K. Hei
• Keywords: Sodium arsenite; Arsenic Trioxide; Plating efficiency

Human small airway epithelial cells (SAECs) previously immortalized with human telomerase reverse transcriptase (h-TERT) were continuously treated sodium arsenite at a dose of 0.5 µg/mL in culture for up to 6 months. Arsenic-treated progressively displayed an increase transformed phenotype including enhanced growth saturation density, plating efficiency, and anchorage-independent invasion capability compared their nontreated control cells. To determine whether arsenic-induced cell transformation was associated genomic instability, also analyzed micronuclei formation. A 4.8-fold incidence arsenic-treated detected conjunction increased N-phosphonacetyl-l-aspartate (PALA)-resistant characteristics. In addition, showed c-H-ras, c-myc, c-fos protein expression relative controls. The change oncoprotein correlated decrease wildtype p53 hyperphosphorylated retinoblastoma. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that h-TERT underwent step-wise after inorganic arsenic treatment.