Inhibitory effects of prostaglandin A2 on c-myc expression and cell cycle progression in human leukemia cell line HL-60.

Abstract

The effect of prostaglandin A2 (PGA2) on c-myc expression was investigated in a human promyelocytic leukemia cell line, HL-60, which responded to PGA2 with a dose-dependent growth inhibition. Northern blot analysis indicated that treatment with PGA2 at 0.5 to 5.0 micrograms/ml remarkably reduced the steady state level of c-myc mRNA within 3 h, and then it gradually recovered according to the order of concentration of the drug. In contrast to c-myc, the level of class I HLA mRNA, as an internal control, was not diminished by PGA2 treatment. Further, this reduction of c-myc was not disturbed by cycloheximide, suggesting that this PGA2 action on c-myc expression is independent of de novo protein synthesis. Cytofluorometric analysis revealed that the exposure of HL-60 cells to PGA2 at 0.5 or 5.0 micrograms/ml arrested the cells in the G0-G1 phase of the cell cycle. This accumulation of the cells in G0-G1 phase continues until 24 or 36 h at 0.5 or 5.0 micrograms/ml, respectively. The G0-G1 arrest of the cell cycle was also recovered as the inhibition of c-myc was released. This recovery may be due to the loss of activity of PGA2 in culture medium. This study clearly showed that PGA2 treatment arrested HL-60 cells in the G0-G1 phase of the cell cycle and was associated with the reduction of c-myc mRNA.