Trichosanthin-induced specific changes of cytoskeleton configuration were associated with the decreased expression level of actin and tubulin genes in apoptotic Hela cells.

Trichosanthin (TCS) possesses a broad spectrum of biological and pharmacological activities, including anti-cancer activities through apoptosis pathway. However, little is known about the effects of TCS on the cytoskeleton configuration and expression of actin and tubulin genes in Hela cell apoptosis. In the present study, apoptotic cytoskeleton structures were observed by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy, absolute amounts of actin and tubulin subunit mRNAs were determined by quantitative real-time PCR assays (QRT-PCR). Our results showed that the execution phase of cell apoptosis was a highly coordinated process of cellular reorganization, depolymerized microfilaments (MFs) accumulated in the coarsened cytoplasm and apoptotic bodies, followed by the formation of a ring microtubule (MT) structure beneath the plasma membrane. Importantly, apoptosis occurred by a suppression of actin and tubulin subunit gene expression. In particular, a rapid decrease in the amounts of gamma-actin mRNA preceded that of beta-actin; alpha- and beta-tubulin mRNAs were subsequently down-regulated in the later stage of Hela cell apoptosis. These results suggested that the execution of Hela cell apoptosis induced by TCS accompanied the specific changes of cytoskeleton configuration and, significantly, decreased the expression level of actin and tubulin subunit genes in different stages.