Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 induces apoptosis in human epithelial ovarian cancer cells

Abstract

To study the apoptosis-inducing effects of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) coactivator-1 (PGC-1alpha) on the human epithelial ovarian cancer cell. Human epithelial ovarian cancer cell of the line HO8910 were cultured and divided into 3 groups Ad- PGC-1alpha group (infected with adenovirus. containing PGC-1alpha), Ad- GFP group (infected with adenovirus containing green fluorescent protein, and blank control group. Forty-eight hours later, light microscopy was used to observe the morphological changes of the cells, and apoptosis of the cells was observed by Hoechst staining assay. RT-PCR was used to measure the expression of intracellular Bax and Bcl-2 mRNA. Chinese hamster ovary cells of the line CHO were cultured, infected by adenovirus containing PGC-1alpha and GFP and negative adenovirus respectively, and then underwent Hoechst staining assay and flow cytometry. Light microscopy and Hoechst staining assay showed that there were many morphological characteristics of apoptosis including compaction and margination of nuclear chromatin, nuclear fragments, and apoptotic bodies in the Ad- PGC-1alpha. RT-PCR showed the mRNA expression of intracellular Bax was up-regulated by 1.5 times and the mRNA expression of Bcl-2 was down-regulated by 69% in the Ad- PGC-1alpha group. However, PGC-1alpha treatment did not induce apoptosis in the CHO cells. PGC-1alpha induces apoptosis in epithelial ovarian cancer cells in vitro, which may be a result of up-regulation of the pro-apoptotic gene Bax and down-regulation of the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2. And over-expression of PGC-1alpha results in no apoptosis in CHO.