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A protein produced by a monocytic human cell line can induce apoptosis on tumor cells
Author(s) -
Ghibelli L.,
Coppola S.,
Nosseri C.,
Bergamini A.,
Beninati S.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(94)00287-8
Subject(s) - apoptosis , thp1 cell line , cell culture , tumor cells , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , line (geometry) , cancer research , biology , biochemistry , genetics , geometry , mathematics
A serum‐free medium conditioned by U937, a human cell line of monocyte/macrophage origin, was found capable of inducing apoptosis on exponentially growing U937 cells themselves (autocrine suicide). The apoptosis‐inducing agent is a macromolecule and possibly a protein (SKT factor), with a relative molecular mass in the range of 18–25 kDa. All human tumor cell lines examined have been induced to apoptosis with high efficiency, whereas non transformed human lymphocytes and monocytes are insensitive to the apoptosis‐inducing activity; moreover, partially differentiated U937 are not killed but induced to full maturation. These observations suggest that the SKT factor could possibly be a cytokine with a specific cytotoxic tropism, that resembles in many respects the cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF), even though no TNF is detectable in the conditioned medium.