Background/Aims: A protein BH3-only member bcl-2 family, Noxa is a proapoptotic mediator for p53-induced apoptosis. We analyzed the effect of Noxa on p53-induced apoptotic gastric carcinoma cell lines.
Methodology: The expressions of human Noxa (hNoxa) mRNA on human gastric carcinoma cell lines were assessed with RT-PCR. Further, hNoxa antisense and sense S-oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) were used to analyze the effect of hNoxa on p53-induced apoptotic gastric carcinoma cell lines.
Results: Various levels of hNoxa mRNA expression were detected in all gastric cell lines. MKN45 that has wild-type p53 showed severe inhibition by irinotecan compared with MKN28, which has mutated p53. Cell growth under hNoxa antisense S-ODN treatment did not differ from that under sense SODN treatment in MKN28. On the other hand, the suppression of cell growth in MKN45 decreased with hNoxa antisense S-ODN treatment as compared to hNoxa sense S-ODN treatment. MKN45 cells exhibited DNA fragmentation clearly after 24 hr of 3mM hNoxa sense S-ODN treatment. The DNA fragmentation in MKN45 was inhibited by hNoxa antisense S-ODN treatment.
Conclusions: It seems that hNoxa plays an important role in induction of apoptosis on p53 wild type gastric carcinoma cell lines.