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ToxSci Advance Access published online on September 19, 2006
Toxicological Sciences, doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfl114
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received July 26, 2006
Accepted September 18, 2006

Environmental Toxicology

Nonylphenol and Octylphenol-Induced Apoptosis in Human Embryonic Stem Cells is Related to Fas-Fas Ligand Pathway

Suel-Kee Kim 1, Byung-Kag Kim 2, Joong-Hyun Shim 2, Jung-Eun Gil 2, Yong-Dal Yoon 3, and Jong-Hoon Kim 2 *

1 Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Division of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea; Institute of Life Science and Natural Resources, Korea University, Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea
2 Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Division of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea
3 Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology, Department of Life Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, Republic of Korea

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Jong-Hoon Kim, E-mail: jhkim{at}korea.ac.kr


  Abstract

Human embryonic stem (hES) cells have been proposed as a source of various cell types for cell replacement therapy. Besides their potential in therapeutic uses, ES cells also have other potential applications, such as in drug discovery and in vitro screening assays of various toxicants. Nonylphenol (NP) and octylphenol (OP) are common environmental contaminants, known to disrupt the reproductive and endocrine system. However, little is known about their toxicological effects on early embryonic development in humans. In this study, we used undifferentiated hES cells and the neural progenitor cells derived from them to investigate the potential toxicity of NP and OP. Our results show that the cytotoxic effects of NP and OP involve DNA fragmentation, the major characteristic of apoptosis. The NP- and OP-induced apoptosis was concomitant with the increased activity of Caspase-8 and -3. Moreover, both Fas and FasL protein expressions were markedly increased in the NP- or OP-exposed hES cells. These results suggest that NP and OP are able to trigger apoptosis in hES cells via a pathway dependent on caspase activation and Fas-FasL interaction. In particular, hES cell-derived neural progenitor cells had a higher sensitivity to the toxicants than undifferentiated hES cells, thereby suggesting that the toxic stress response may differ depending on the developmental stage. These findings offer new perspectives for understanding the fundamental mechanism(s) in chemical-induced apoptosis in hES cells.

Keywords: Nonylphenol; Octylphenol; Human embryonic stem cell; Apoptosis; Fas-Fas ligand pathway; Caspase.

The authors certify that all research involving human subjects was done under full compliance with all government policies and the Helsinki Declaration.


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