Rsp. Benson et al., CHARACTERIZATION OF CELL-VOLUME LOSS IN CEM-C7A CELLS DURING DEXAMETHASONE-INDUCED APOPTOSIS, American journal of physiology. Cell physiology, 39(4), 1996, pp. 1190-1203
A reduction in cell volume is a fundamental feature of apoptosis. We h
ave characterized changes in cell volume, together with nuclear change
s, occurring in dexamethasone-induced apoptosis in CEM-C7A lymphoblast
oid cells. Cell volume was measured by electronic cell sizing and flow
cytometry, and two distinct phases of volume loss were observed. The
first phase began 12 h after addition of dexamethasone (5 mu M) and pr
ogressed until 36 h when chromatin condensation was detected in intact
cells. Removal of dexamethasone before 36 h (the precommitment period
) resulted in reversal of the volume decrease and prevented the appear
ance of nuclear changes. Cell shrinkage in the first 24 h of dexametha
sone exposure was associated with a net loss of potassium but no chang
e in cellular buoyant density. There were no significant differences i
n the rates of volume recovery after either hypertonic or hypotonic st
imuli. These observations favor a mechanism of cell shrinkage involvin
g loss of the entire cytoplasmic contents, possibly following proteoly
sis, rather than loss of only osmolytes and water. The second phase of
volume loss was coincident with chromatin condensation and was associ
ated with cellular fragmentation and a reduction in cellular density.
We conclude that volume loss in this model of apoptosis is mediated by
multiple mechanisms that are both dependent and independent of cellul
ar fragmentation.