Decrease in nucleophosmin/B23 mRNA and telomerase activity during indomethacin-induced apoptosis of gastric KATO-III cancer cells.

The mRNA expression of nucleophosmin/B23 in gastric cancers (T) and the matched adjacent "normal" gastric mucosa (N) obtained from patients without any preoperative treatment were determined. Telomerase activity was detected in tumor tissues from six of seven patients. Analysis of the adjacent "normal" gastric mucosa in the same patients revealed all seven were negative for telomerase activity. In comparing clinical data for all seven patients, the stages of cancer seemed to be associated with T/N nucleophosmin/B23 mRNA expression. Cancers of later stages seemed to have higher T/N nucleophosmin/B23 mRNA ratio. After 3-4 days of 1 mM indomethacin treatment about 60-85% of gastric cultured KATO III cancer cells exhibited the features with highly condensed nuclei and decrease in cell size. Concomitant with the increase in the percentage of KATO III cells exhibiting the morphological features of apoptosis, there was a decrease in the viability of cells as determined by exclusion of trypan blue. A decline in telomerase activity in indomethacin-treated versus untreated cells was observed over times (2-4 days). The steady-state level of nucleophosmin/B23 mRNA, as determined by the levels of radioactivity of the hybridizing bands also decreased during the indomethacin treatment. At some times after the removal of indomethacin, cell growth and telomerase activity resumed in little extent (approx. 60%). When nucleophosmin/B23 antisense oligonucleotide was included in the cell culture upon removal of indomethacin, virtually no recovery of cell growth and telomerase activity were observed.