Wojciech Gorczyca

Bio: Wojciech Gorczyca is an academic researcher from New York Medical College. The author has contributed to research in topics: Cell cycle & Apoptosis. The author has an hindex of 28, co-authored 52 publications receiving 7906 citations. Previous affiliations of Wojciech Gorczyca include Pomeranian Medical University.

Features of apoptotic cells measured by flow cytometry

Abstract: The present review describes several methods to characterize and differentiate between two different mechanisms of cell death, apoptosis and necrosis. Most of these methods were applied to studies of apoptosis triggered in the human leukemic HL-60 cell line by DNA topoisomerase I or II inhibitors, and in rat thymocytes by either topoisomerase inhibitors or prednisolone. In most cases, apoptosis was selective to cells in a particular phase of the cell cycle: only S-phase HL-60 cells and G0 thymocytes were mainly affected. Necrosis was induced by excessively high concentrations of these drugs. The following cell features were found useful to characterize the mode of cell death: a) Activation of an endonuclease in apoptocic cells resulted in extraction of the low molecular weight DNA following cell permeabilization, which, in turn, led to their decreased stainability with DNA-specific fluorochromes. Measurements of DNA content made it possible to identify apoptotic cells and to recognize the cell cycle phase specificity of the apoptotic process. b) Plasma membrane integrity, which is lost in necrotic but not apoptotic cells, was probed by the exclusion of propidium iodide (PI). The combination of PI followed by Hoechst 33342 proved to be an excellent probe to distinguish live, necrotic, early- and late-apoptotic cells. c) Mitochondrial transmembrane potential, assayed by retention of rhodamine 123 was preserved in apoptotic but not necrotic cells. d) The ATP-dependent lysosomal proton pump, tested by the supravital uptake of acridine orange (AO) was also preserved in apoptotic but not necrotic cells. e) Bivariate analysis of cells stained for DNA and protein revealed markedly diminished protein content in apoptotic cells, most likely due to activation of endogenous proteases. Necrotic cells, having leaky membranes, had minimal protein content. f) Staining of RNA allowed for the discrimination of G0 from G1 cells and thus made it possible to reveal that apoptosis was selective to G0 thymocytes. g) The decrease in forward light scatter, paralleled either by no change (HL-60 cells) or an increase (thymocytes) of right angle scatter, were early changes during apoptosis. h) The sensitivity of DNA in situ to denaturation, was increased in apoptotic and necrotic cells. This feature, probed by staining with AO at low pH, provided a sensitive and early assay to discriminate between live, apoptotic and necrotic cells, and to evaluate the cell cycle phase specificity of these processes. i) The in situ nick translation assay employing labeled triphosphonucleotides can be used to reveal DNA strand breaks, to detect the very early stages of apoptosis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Cytometry in cell necrobiology: Analysis of apoptosis and accidental cell death (necrosis)

Abstract: The term cell necrobiology is introduced to comprise the life processes associated with morphological, biochemical, and molecular changes which predispose, precede, and accompany cell death, as well as the consequences and tissue response to cell death. Two alternative modes of cell death can be distinguished, apoptosis and accidental cell death, generally defined as necrosis. The wide interest in necrobiology in many disciplines stems from the realization that apoptosis, whether it occurs physiologically or as a manifestation of a pathological state, is an active mode of cell death and a subject of complex regulatory processes. A possibility exists, therefore, to interact with the regulatory machinery and thereby modulate the cell's propensity to die in response to intrinsic or exogenous signals. Flow cytometry appears to be the methodology of choice to study various aspects of necrobiology. It offers all the advantages of rapid, multiparameter analysis of large populations of individual cells to investigate the biological processes associated with cell death. Numerous methods have been developed to identify apoptotic and necrotic cells and are widely used in various disciplines, in particular in oncology and immunology. The methods based on changes in cell morphology, plasma membrane structure and transport function, function of cell organelles, DNA stability to denaturation, and endonucleolytic DNA degradation are reviewed and their applicability in the research laboratory and in the clinical setting is discussed. Improper use of flow cytometry in analysis of cell death and in data interpretation also is discussed. The most severe errors are due to i) misclassification of nuclear fragments and individual apoptotic bodies as single apoptotic cells, ii) assumption that the apoptotic index represents the rate of cell death, and iii) failure to confirm by microscopy that the cells classified by flow cytometry as apoptotic or necrotic do indeed show morphology consistent with this classification. It is expected that flow cytometry will be the dominant methodology for necrobiology. Cytometry 27:1–20, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Detection of DNA Strand Breaks in Individual Apoptotic Cells by the in Situ Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase and Nick Translation Assays

Abstract: DNA strand breaks which occur in HL-60 cells as a result of activation of endonuclease during apoptosis induced by cell treatment with the DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin and topoisomerase II inhibitors teniposide, 4′-(9-acridinylamino)-3-methanesulfon-m-anisidide, and fostriecin were labeled in situ, in individual fixed and permeabilized cells, with biotinylated dUTP (detected by fluoresceinated avidin), using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase or nick translation assays During the early stage of apoptosis, prior to nuclear fragmentation, the breaks were predominantly localized at the nuclear periphery, close to the nuclear envelope In more advanced stages, all cellular DNA, then localized within the cell as dense, homogeneous granules of a variety of sizes, was strongly labeled, indicating extensive and more uniform distribution of breaks throughout genomic DNA Bivariate analysis of the incorporated biotinylated dUTP and cellular DNA content by flow cytometry made it possible to estimate the kinetics of the labeling reaction and relate DNA breaks to cell position in the cycle The kinetics of biotinylated dUTP incorporation was faster, and the distinction of cells with DNA breaks was more pronounced, using the terminal transferase rather than the nick translation assay Camptothecin, teniposide, and 4′-(9-acridinylamino)-3-methanesulfon-m-anisidide induced DNA breaks preferentially in S-phase cells, having little effect on cells in the G1 phase of the cycle In contrast, fostriecin affected cells indiscriminately, in all phases of the cell cycle The method of detection of DNA strand breaks (3′-hydroxyl termini) individual cells offers several advantages and can be applied to clinical material (tumor biopsies) to study the induction of apoptosis in tumors during treatment, as a possible prognostic marker The protein-associated DNA breaks in the “cleavable” DNA-topoisoerase complexes, which are the primary lesions induced by the inhibitors and precede apoptosis, were not detectable by the present methods

The Cell Cycle Related Differences in Susceptibility of HL-60 Cells to Apoptosis Induced by Various Antitumor Agents

Abstract: The studies were aimed to detect the cell cycle-associated differences in the susceptibility of HL-60 cells to apoptosis induced by diverse agents Exponentially growing HL-60 cells were treated with the DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin; the DNA topoisomerase II inhibitors teniposide, m-AMSA, Mitoxantrone, or Fostriecin; the presumed tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein; a serine/threonine kinase inhibitor H7; the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide; the DNA replication inhibitor hydroxyurea; the nucleoside antimetabolites 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine and 5-azacytidine; and the alkylating agent nitrogen mustard, cisplatin, hyperthermia, and gamma irradiation Endonucleolysis, which accompanied apoptosis induced by these agents, was assessed by two different flow cytometric methods, one based on DNA content measurements following extraction of low molecular weight DNA, and another using exogenous terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase to label in situ DNA strand breaks Each method allowed for both identification of apoptotic cells and analysis of the cell cycle distribution of the unaffected cell population; the method using terminal transferase also allowed for identification of the cell cycle position of apoptotic cells Confirmed by analysis of DNA degradation by gel electrophoresis and changes in cell morphology, apoptosis was observed as early as 3 h after administration of most drugs and for some drugs was cell cycle phase specific Cells progressing through S phase were selectively susceptible when treated with camptothecin, teniposide, m-AMSA, Mitoxantrone, H7, hydroxyurea, and 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine Cells in G2-M preferentially underwent apoptosis in cultures treated with H7 or with gamma-irradiation Cells in G1 phase were preferentially affected by 5-azacytidine, nitrogen mustard, and hyperthermia No significant cell cycle specificity was observed in the case of Fostriecin, genistein, cycloheximide, or cisplatin The cell cycle related difference in susceptibility to apoptosis may be a reflection of both the severity of the lesion induced by a given drug and the ability of the cells to repair that lesion; both can vary depending on the cell cycle phase

Apoptosis: A Review of Programmed Cell Death

Abstract: The process of programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is generally characterized by distinct morphological characteristics and energy-dependent biochemical mechanisms. Apoptosis is considered a vital component of various processes including normal cell turnover, proper development and functioning of the immune system, hormone-dependent atrophy, embryonic development and chemical-induced cell death. Inappropriate apoptosis (either too little or too much) is a factor in many human conditions including neurodegenerative diseases, ischemic damage, autoimmune disorders and many types of cancer. The ability to modulate the life or death of a cell is recognized for its immense therapeutic potential. Therefore, research continues to focus on the elucidation and analysis of the cell cycle machinery and signaling pathways that control cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. To that end, the field of apoptosis research has been moving forward at an alarmingly rapid rate. Although many of the key apoptotic proteins have been identified, the molecular mechanisms of action or inaction of these proteins remain to be elucidated. The goal of this review is to provide a general overview of current knowledge on the process of apoptosis including morphology, biochemistry, the role of apoptosis in health and disease, detection methods, as well as a discussion of potential alternative forms of apoptosis.

The Ki‐67 protein: From the known and the unknown

Abstract: The expression of the human Ki-67 protein is strictly associated with cell proliferation. During interphase, the antigen can be exclusively detected within the nucleus, whereas in mitosis most of the protein is relocated to the surface of the chromosomes. The fact that the Ki-67 protein is present during all active phases of the cell cycle (G(1), S, G(2), and mitosis), but is absent from resting cells (G(0)), makes it an excellent marker for determining the so-called growth fraction of a given cell population. In the first part of this study, the term proliferation marker is discussed and examples of the applications of anti-Ki-67 protein antibodies in diagnostics of human tumors are given. The fraction of Ki-67-positive tumor cells (the Ki-67 labeling index) is often correlated with the clinical course of the disease. The best-studied examples in this context are carcinomas of the prostate and the breast. For these types of tumors, the prognostic value for survival and tumor recurrence has repeatedly been proven in uni- and multivariate analysis. The preparation of new monoclonal antibodies that react with the Ki-67 equivalent protein from rodents now extends the use of the Ki-67 protein as a proliferation marker to laboratory animals that are routinely used in basic research. The second part of this review focuses on the biology of the Ki-67 protein. Our current knowledge of the Ki-67 gene and protein structure, mRNA splicing, expression, and cellular localization during the cell-division cycle is summarized and discussed. Although the Ki-67 protein is well characterized on the molecular level and extensively used as a proliferation marker, the functional significance still remains unclear. There are indications, however, that Ki-67 protein expression is an absolute requirement for progression through the cell-division cycle.

Early redistribution of plasma membrane phosphatidylserine is a general feature of apoptosis regardless of the initiating stimulus: inhibition by overexpression of Bcl-2 and Abl.

Abstract: A critical event during programmed cell death (PCD) appears to be the acquisition of plasma membrane (PM) changes that allows phagocytes to recognize and engulf these cells before they rupture. The majority of PCD seen in higher organisms exhibits strikingly similar morphological features, and this form of PCD has been termed apoptosis. The nature of the PM changes that occur on apoptotic cells remains poorly defined. In this study, we have used a phosphatidylserine (PS)-binding protein (annexin V) as a specific probe to detect redistribution of this phospholipid, which is normally confined to the inner PM leaflet, during apoptosis. Here we show that PS externalization is an early and widespread event during apoptosis of a variety of murine and human cell types, regardless of the initiating stimulus, and precedes several other events normally associated with this mode of cell death. We also report that, under conditions in which the morphological features of apoptosis were prevented (macromolecular synthesis inhibition, overexpression of Bcl-2 or Abl), the appearance of PS on the external leaflet of the PM was similarly prevented. These data are compatible with the notion that activation of an inside-outside PS translocase is an early and widespread event during apoptosis.