Characterization of protein kinase CK2 protein subunits and p53 in F9 teratocarcinoma cells in the absence and presence of cisplatin.

The effect of cis-diaminedichloroplatinum(II) (cisplatin) on the induction of p53 and protein kinase CK2 activity was studied in the mouse teratocarcinoma cell line F9. Treatment of the cells with the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin led to the detection of p53 3 h after addition of the drug. F9 cell extracts treated with and without cisplatin were analyzed by ion exchange chromatography for protein kinase CK2 alpha/beta subunits and p53 distribution. The following results were obtained: (a) in crude extracts of cisplatin-treated cells, CK2 activity was sometimes reduced by as much as 50%; (b) after separation by anionic exchange chromatography (MA7Q, BioRad) of the crude cellular extracts from cisplatin-treated cells, lower CK2 activity was found in the peak fractions confirming the results obtained with crude cellular extracts; (c) besides the detection of CK2 alpha subunit by immunostaining, we have detected, at a concentration of approximately 200 mM NaCl, a protein of approximately 46 kDa which reacted with the CK2 alpha-specific antibody. This fraction was devoid of CK2 activity; and (d) cisplatin-treated cells exhibited p53 protein, which was mostly eluting ahead but also partly together with CK2 holoenzyme.