Hydroxystearic acid effects on CDC2/histone H1 kinase activity in C108 carcinoma cells.

HSA at appropriate concentrations shows cytostatic and/or cytotoxic effects on murine Lewis carcinoma cell line C108. The cytostatic effect is mediated by an arrest in the cell cycle machinery, with accumulation of cells in G2-M. The combination of enzymatic assays, cell cycle kinetics studies and immunoprecipitation shows that HSA causes to a certainty an accumulation of cells in the M phase, while a similar effect in G2 has still to be demonstrated. It also inhibits histone H1 kinase activity up to 95% of that of mitotic cells, having as a direct or indirect target the cdc2 complex.