Citation

McConkey DJ, Hartzell P, Duddy SK, Håkansson H, Orrenius S. Science 1988; 242(4876): 256-259.

Affiliation

Department of Toxicology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1988, American Association for the Advancement of Science)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

3262923

Abstract

Suspensions of thymocytes from young rats were incubated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), which resulted in a sustained increase in cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration followed by DNA fragmentation and loss of cell viability. Both the Ca2+ increase and DNA fragmentation were prevented in cells treated with the inhibitor of protein synthesis, cycloheximide, and DNA fragmentation and cell killing were not detected when cells were incubated in a "Ca2+-free" medium or pretreated with high concentrations of the calcium probe, quin-2 tetraacetoxymethyl ester. These results indicate that TCDD can kill immature thymocytes by initiating a suicide process similar to that previously described for glucocorticoid hormones.

Language: en