Role of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 in cadmium-induced cellular DNA damage and cell cycle arrest in rat renal tubular epithelial cell line NRK-52E.

With the development of modern industry, the problem of cadmium (Cd) pollution cannot be ignored and its toxicity has caused great personal injury to humans. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) protein is a research hotspot in recent years, the research we have published shows that 5 μM of Cd-treated NRK-52E cells activated PARP-1, but the specific effects of PARP-1 on DNA damage and cell cycle is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to reveal the effect of Cd on DNA damage and cell cycle arrest in NRK-52E cells, in addition, to investigate the role of PARP-1 in mediating this effect. Western blotting, comet assay, QRT-PCR, immunofluorescence, and co-immunoprecipitation were used to detect DNA damage and cell cycle-associated protein expression. Flow cytometry was used to assess cell cycle distribution and the apoptosis rates. Results showed that after the increase in treatment time and Cd concentration, the degree of DNA damage was significantly increased, and a transition from G0/G1 to S phase arrest was observed. In addition, inhibition of PARP-1 expression exacerbated cell damage and cell cycle arrest when DNA damage was low, but attenuated cell damage and even cell cycle arrest when DNA damage was severe. These findings in this study indicate that Cd causes DNA damage in NRK-52E cells, leading to cell cycle arrest at different phases depending on the degree of DNA damage. Moreover, PARP-1 plays an important role in mediating this effect, when DNA damage is low, it functions in DNA repair, however, when DNA damage is severe, it aggravates cell damage and induces cell death.