The role of protein accumulation in the cell cycle control of human NHIK 3025 cells.

The cell cycle kinetics of NHIK 3025 cells, synchronized by mitotic selection, was studied in the presence of cycloheximide at concentrations (0.125-1.25 microM) which inhibited protein synthesis partially and slowed down the rate of cell cycle traverse. The median cell cycle duration was equal to the protein doubling time in both the control cells and in the cycloheximide-treated cultures at all drug concentrations. This conclusion was valid whether protein synthesis was continuously depressed by cycloheximide throughout the entire cell cycle, or temporarily inhibited during shorter periods at various stages of the cell cycle. These results may indicate that cell division does not take place before the cell has reached a critical size, or has completed a protein accumulation-dependent sequence of events. When present throughout the cell cycle, cycloheximide increased the median G1 duration proportionally to the total cell cycle prolongation. However, the entry of cells into S, once initiated, proceeded at an almost unaffected rate even at cycloheximide concentrations which reduced the rate of protein synthesis 50%. The onset of DNA synthesis seemed to take place in the cycloheximide-treated cells at a time when the protein content was lower than in the control cells. This might suggest that DNA synthesis in NHIK 3025 cells is not initiated at a critical cell mass.