Effects of an inhibitor of protein kinases on the response to heat treatment in cultured mammalian cells

Abstract

Effects of H7, a protein kinase C inhibitor, on responses to hyperthermic treatment were investigated in relatively heat sensitive Chinese hamster V79 cells and resistant human glioma A7 cells. In V79 H7 (2–50 μM) enhanced cell killing of heat treatment at 42 or 44°C. The magnitude of the heat sensitization was dependent on concentration and timing of H7 addition; addition of the inhibitor between 0 and 2 h before heat treatment was most effective. In A7 the inhibitor did not show such synergistic effect with heat treatment, but showed mere added toxicity. In split-heat experiments using V79 with addition of H7 (20 μM) before the initial heat treatment and thereon, the development of thermotolerance was partially inhibited. However, already thermotolerant cells were not sensitized when H7 was added before the test heat. In V79 there was a tendency for H7 to accelerate cell death and DNA ladder formation by heat. No significant change was detectable in HSP70 induction determined by Western analyses, although H7 seemed to accelerate shifting of HSP70 out of nuclei back into cytoplasm. These results indicate that heat sensitizing effect of H7 may depend on cell type and that the effectiveness of H7 depends on timing of addition.

Key Words:

• Heat sensitivity
• heat sensitization
• H7
• thermotolerance
• cultured cells