Objective: To study effects of alternative transcripts of ING1 transfection on human cancer cell lines.
Methods: p47/ING1A and p33/ING1B expression vehicles were constructed and introduced into a human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 and a human lung cancer cell line PAa, both expressing wild-type p53 protein. Growth characteristics of the transfectants and potentially related genes were analyzed.
Results: The levels of p47/ING1A and p33/ING1B protein elevated respectively in tumor cells of MCF-7 and PAa after transfected with p47/ING1A and p33/ING1B, and the latter was much higher than that of the former. Ectopic overexpression of p33/ING1B effectively blocked tumor cell growth and arrested cells in the G(0) approximately G(1) phase of the cell cycle (P < 0.01), while p47/ING1A gave no effect on cell growth or cell cycle. Tumor cells overexpressing p33/ING1B contained more p21(WAF1) protein than that of the control cells, with undisturbed p53 protein level.
Conclusions: Expression of two different transcripts of ING1 may have different effects on tumor cell growth. p33/ING1B may cooperate with p53 in stimulating expression of p21(WAF1) gene, thus to arrest cell cycle and to inhibit tumor cell growth. p33/ING1B may be considered to be a candidate as a partner of p53 in gene therapy.