Smith C D, Mooberry S L, Zhang X, Helt A M
Department of Pharmacology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111.
Cancer Lett. 1994 May 16;79(2):213-9. doi: 10.1016/0304-3835(94)90262-3.
The ability of taxol to protect microtubules in cultured human ovarian carcinoma cells from drug- and cold-induced depolymerization was characterized as a functional assay for microtubule stabilizing agents. Treatment of the cells with concentrations of vinblastine or colchicine of 50 nM or greater, or incubation at 4 degrees C resulted in complete depolymerization of cytoplasmic microtubules. Pretreatment with taxol for 3 h enabled the cells to maintain substantial numbers of microtubules following the application of vinblastine or colchicine. This protective effect was easily observed at 50 nM taxol, whereas taxol-induced microtubule bundling was observed only at concentrations of 500 nM or greater. Concentrations of taxol as low as 10 nM stabilized microtubules against cold-induced depolymerization. Therefore, protection of microtubules from drug- and cold-induced depolymerization provides a sensitive functional assay for taxol. These systems should be similarly effective in identifying novel compounds which stabilize microtubules.
紫杉醇保护培养的人卵巢癌细胞中的微管免受药物和低温诱导解聚的能力，被表征为微管稳定剂的功能测定法。用50 nM或更高浓度的长春碱或秋水仙碱处理细胞，或在4℃孵育，会导致细胞质微管完全解聚。用紫杉醇预处理3小时能使细胞在应用长春碱或秋水仙碱后维持大量微管。在50 nM紫杉醇时很容易观察到这种保护作用，而紫杉醇诱导的微管束仅在500 nM或更高浓度时观察到。低至10 nM的紫杉醇浓度就能稳定微管抵抗低温诱导的解聚。因此，保护微管免受药物和低温诱导的解聚为紫杉醇提供了一种灵敏的功能测定法。这些系统在鉴定稳定微管的新化合物方面应同样有效。
