Abstract:

Objective  To investigate the change of PDCD4 gene expression in hypopharyngeal squamous carcinoma cell line, i.e. FaDu cells, in response to peroxynitrite (ONOO-). Methods  FaDu Cells were cultured in vitro and subjected to different concentrations of ONOO-. The viability of FaDu cells in response to ONOO- was measured by MTT assay. The morphological changes were monitored by Ho.33342/PI double staining  to detect whether or not the cells yielded programmed cell death to such toxigen. Meanwhile, the changes in the expression of PDCD4 gene at both mRNA and protein levels were measured by RT-PCR and Western-blot simultaneously. Results  Direct exposure of FaDu cells to ONOO- was able to block the cell proliferation, which was further confirmed via the apoptotic pathway. Under such an oxidative stress, the expression of PDCD4 gene was apparently increased at both mRNA and protein levels. Conclusions  The present study demonstrates that PDCD4 gene may play an important role in ONOO-induced programmed cell death in FaDu cells, which may offer a new target for the treatment of hypopharyngeal squamous carcinoma.

Key words: Peroxynitrite; PDCD4 gene; FaDu cells; Programmed cell death