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Selective permeabilization of cervical cancer cells to an ionic DNA‐binding cytotoxin by activation of P2Y receptors
Author(s) -
Bukhari Maurish,
Deng Han,
Jones Noelle,
Towne Zachary,
Woodworth Craig D.,
Samways Damien S.K.
Publication year - 2015
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/j.febslet.2015.04.044
Subject(s) - extracellular , receptor , intracellular , ionotropic effect , p2y receptor , cancer cell , chemistry , cell , microbiology and biotechnology , purinergic receptor , biochemistry , biophysics , biology , cancer , nmda receptor , genetics
Extracellular ATP is known to permeabilize certain cell types to polyatomic cations like YO‐PRO1. Here, we report that extracellularly applied ATP stimulated rapid uptake and accumulation of an otherwise weakly membrane permeable fluorescent DNA‐binding cytotoxin, Hoechst 33258, into cervical cancer cells. While ATP stimulated Hoechst 33258 uptake in 20–70% of cells from seven cervical cancer cell lines, it stimulated uptake in less than 8% of cervical epithelial cells obtained from the normal transformation zone and ectocervix tissue of 11 patients. ATP‐evoked Hoechst 33258 uptake was independent of ionotropic P2X receptors, but dependent on activation of P2Y receptors. Thus, we show here that cervical cancer cells can be selectively induced to take up and accumulate an ionic cytotoxin by exposure to extracellular ATP.