Apoptosis: mode of cell death induced in T cell leukemia lines by dexamethasone and other agents

Glucocorticoids can mediate the destruction of thymocytes and T cell‐derived leukemia cells through a mechanism known as apoptosis. The characteristic feature of apoptosis is fragmentation of DNA at internucleosomal linkers through the activity of a specific endonuclease. In this study, an attempt was made to compare dexamethasone‐induced apoptosis in two T cell‐derived human leukemia lines (CEM‐C1 and CEM‐C7) to the cell killing brought about by selected cytotoxic agents. In the CEM‐C7 cell line (dexamethasone‐sensitive), apoptosis was induced not only by dexamethasone but by actinomycin D, cycloheximide, and 25‐OH cholesterol. In the CEM‐C1 cell line (dexamethasone‐resistant) cycloheximide, 25‐OH cholesterol, or cell starvation could induce apoptosis. It appears that in leukemic cells apoptosis may be induced by a variety of unrelated toxic agents and is not limited to glucocorticoids.—Bansal, N.; Houle, A.; Melnykovych, G. Apoptosis: mode of cell death induced in T cell leukemia lines by dexamethasone and other agents. FASEB J. 5: 211–216; 1991.

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