Molecular Mechanisms of the Antiproliferative Effect of Vitamin K3 on Jurkat Cells

D. V. Kovalenko and A. V. Zelenin^*

Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russia Academy of Sciences, ul. Vavilova 32, Moscow, 117984 Russia; fax: (095) 135-1405; E-mail: azel@genome.eimb.relarn.ru

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received October 12, 1998; Revision received November 27, 1998

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Molecular mechanisms of the antiproliferative effect of vitamin K3 (sodium 2,3-dihydro-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone-2-sulfonate) were studied on a human T-lymphoma model (Jurkat cell line). It is shown that a short-term treatment of the cells with vitamin K3 damages their genomic DNA. Further culturing of the cells in the presence of vitamin K3 decreases the expression of the c-myc gene, inhibits the activity of DNA-dependent DNA-polymerases, and leads to the subsequent development of apoptosis. Combined exposure to vitamin K3 and azidothymidine has a synergistic antiproliferative effect.

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KEY WORDS: vitamin K3, azidothymidine, T-lymphoma, chemotherapy

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