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ARTICLE

Brief Note: Influence of 2-methoxyestradiol on MCF-7 cells: An improved differential interference contrasting technique and Bcl-2 and Bax protein expression levels

by ANNIE JOUBERT, SUMARI MARAIS, CHRISTINE MARITZ

1. Department of Physiology, University of Pretoria, P.O. Box 2034, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.
2. Department of Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.
* Address correspondence to: Annie Joubert. E-mail: annie.joubert@up.ac.za

BIOCELL 2009, 33(1), 67-70. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2009.33.067

Abstract

Proteins of the B-cell lymphoma 2 family are crucial for the regulation of apoptosis. B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X is a pro-apoptotic protein, while B-cell lymphoma 2 protein opposes apoptosis. The influence of 1 μM 2-methoxyestradiol was investigated on the expression levels of these two proteins in MCF-7 cells. 2-Methoxyestradiol exposure did not influence B-cell lymphoma 2 protein expression levels after 24 h of exposure. In contrast, B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein levels were significantly reduced. An improved differential interference contrasting technique revealed compromised cell density and the presence of a mitotic block in exposed cells. The study proposes that the influence of 2-methoxyestradiol on the expression of these proteins may be time- and cell type dependent and thus not evident during the mitotic block observed. Investigation of the regulation of the B-cell lymphoma 2 family will allow researchers to consider signaling pathways for diseases where apoptosis can potentially be controlled.

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