Effect of Na + flux inhibitors on induction of c-fos, c-myc, and ODC genes during cell cycle.

The role of Na + transport systems in the mitogenic signal induced by growth factors was studied, and it was shown that two Na + transport systems contribute to the early increase in cytoplasmic Na + in response to serum growth factors, namely the amiloride-sensitive Na+/H+ antiport and the bumetanide-sensitive Na+/K+/Cl- cotransport. Bumetanide or amiloride, when added separately, inhibited part of the increase in cytoplasmic Na +, as a response to the addition of serum to quiescent BALB/c mouse 3T3 fibroblasts. Each drug also suppressed part of the stimulation of the ouabain-sensitive Rb + influx, which was controlled by intracellular Na +. However, when both drugs were added together with serum growth factors, a complete inhibition of the early increase in [Na +], and subsequently a complete blockage of Na+/K+ pump stimulation was obtained. Amiloride or bumetanide, when added separately, only partially inhibited DNA synthesis induced by serum, 24% and 8% respectively. However, when both drugs were added together, at the time of serum addition to the quiescent cells, cell entry into S-phase was completely inhibited. To investigate the mode of cell-cycle inhibition, analysis was done of the possible role of early Na + fluxes in the mitogenic signal transduced from cell membrane receptors to the nucleus. The effects of the two drugs amiloride and bumetanide on induction of three genes--c-fos, c-myc, and ornithin decarboxylase (ODC)--was measured during cell transition through the G1-phase. Amiloride and bumetanide, when added separately or in combination, did not inhibit the induction of c-fos, c-myc, and ODC mRNAs. These results suggest that stimulation of Na + fluxes by serum growth factors is essential for cell transition into the S-phase of cell cycle, but it plays no apparent role in the growth factor signal transduced from the cell surface to the interior of the cell, as manifested by c-fos, c-myc, and ODC genes induction.