Interference of electroporation on the expression of connexins

Author(s)

Marcelo Monte Mor Rangel

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ/SBD)
• Defense date: 2011-05-27

Examining board members

Maria Lucia Zaidan Dagli; Lluis Maria Mir; Frederico Azevedo da Costa Pinto; Jose Roberto Machado Cunha da Silva; Idercio Luiz Sinhorini

• Advisor: Maria Lucia Zaidan Dagli

Abstract

Electroporation is a phenomenon that promotes the formation of pores in the cytoplasmic membrane when it is exposed to a specific electric field. The main applications of electroporation include the electrochemotherapy, a new cancer therapy, and gene therapy, still in development. Connexins are forming units of gap junctions, transmembrane channels responsible for intercellular communication and participating in a series of physiological events such as cell growth and differentiation. The importance of this gene family in oncology is increasing. The evidence of its behavior as a tumor suppressor or facilitator of dissemination and metastases according to the stage where the cancer presents itself. Electroporation as a phenomenon that promotes membrane disruption could interfere somehow in the expression of connexins. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible effects of interference in gene expression. of cells promoted by electroporation in particular gene family of connexins. For this purpose cells were exposed to a electric field similar to that used for Electrochemotherapy and evaluated at different times after exposure. Three cell lines, two neoplastic (melanoma B16/BL6 and E9) and one line non-neoplastic (E10) were used as experimental models that could provide a comparative analysis between the lines and an assessment of the possible different behaviors due to electroporation. Its expression was assessed by immunofluorescence, western blot and real-time PCR. Cx 26 was evaluated in the melanoma cell line B16/BL6 and Cx 43 in the cell lines E9 and E10. The results showed a cytoplasm immunofluorescence staining pattern in the in B16/BL6, predominantly in the nucleus in line E9 and in the nucleus and cytoplasm for cell line E10. Only the cell line E9 had different immunoflurescence stainings between the groups, with a positivity in the cytoplasm in the group t1/2. The western blot showed transient decrease of Cxs only in cell lines neoplastic in the times t1/2 and t1. The lung cell line E10 showed increased expression in the same time points. The real-time PCR showed significant differences in t1/2 and t1 for the cell lines B16/BL6 and E10. The melanoma cell line B16/BL6 had mRNA decreased while the cell line E10 showed increased transcription of mRNA. The cell line E9 showed a very heterogeneous expression pattern. According to our results, we can conclude that electroporation interfered transiently in the expression of connexins. (AU)