Effect of Interferonon Growth and Cell Cycle Progression of Stomach Cancer Cells

Park, Min Hee; Jeen, Yoon Tae; Chun, Hoon Jai; Lee, Sung Joon; Lee, Goo; Kim, Kwang Hee; Song, Chi Wook; Um, Soon Ho; Lee, Sang Woo; Choi, Jai Hyun; Kim, Chang Duk; Ryu, Ho Sang; Yu, Su Jin; Sohn, Jung Won; Hyun, Jin Hae

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aims of this study were to examine the in vitro effects of IFN (interferon)-gamma on growth of human stomach cancer cell lines and to investigate the antiproliferative effects of IFNgamma by cell cycle regulation.
METHODS
Three human gastric cancer cell lines, SNU-1, SNU-16 and AGS, and recombinant human IFN-gamma were used. The cells were treated with IFN-gamma for various time frames and/or at various concentrations and then, DNA synthesis, cell cycle and the expression of cel cycle regulators were examined.
RESULTS
IFN-gamma inhibited the proliferation of SNU-1 and SNU-16 in time- and concentration- dependent manners as judged by [3H]-thymidine incorporation assay. In the cell cycle analysis of SNU-1 and SNU-16, IFN-gamma induced G1 block at the cell cycle. IFN-gamma increased the expression of two or all three of the cycline-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors p21WAF1, p27Kip1, and p16INK4, depending on the cell line.
CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that the antiproliferative effect of IFN-gamma on human stomach cancer cell lines was mediated by increase in the expression of CDK inhibitors and blocking cell cycle at G1-S transition.