[Study on apoptosis of leukemic lymphocytes mediated by purinergic P2z receptors].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of purinergic P2z receptors in human leukemic lymphocyte apoptosis induced by extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

METHODS

Eleven B-CLL patients were studied. Leukemic lymphocytes with (n = 8) or without (n = 3) P2z receptors were exposed in vitro to ATP, benzoyl-benzoic-ATP (BzATP), 2-methylthio-ATP(2MeSATP), adenosine-5'-[gamma-thio] triphosphate (ATP-gamma S), and other nucleosides for 8 h. Apoptosis was detected by electron microscopy (EM), agarose gel electrophoresis, and quantitative TdT assay.

RESULTS

Apoptosis was detected only in leukemic lymphocytes with P2z receptors. By using the quantitative assay, ATP-inducing DNA strand breaks were found to occur specifically for BzATP, ATP and 2MeSATP, but not for ATP-gamma S and other nucleosides. Meanwhile, ATP-inducing DNA fragmentation was fully blocked by pretreatment with oxidized ATP (OxATP), a compound recently shown to block P2z receptors. Ca2+/Calmodulin complex played a role in the regulation of the CLL cell apoptosis induced by ATP, because an antagonist of this complex, 1-[N,O-bis (5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-N-methyl-L-tyrosyl]-4-phenylpiperazine (KN-62), was found to inhibit the ATP-inducing apoptosis.

CONCLUSION

P2z receptors on lymphocytes play an important role in the apoptosis induced by ATP in vitro.