ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of PKC phosphorylation sites mutation in JWA coding region on TPA-induced MCF-7 cell differentiation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Site directed gene mutation was used to construct one or two PKC sites mutations in pEGFP-N1-JWA vectors, and transfected into MCF-7 cells by polyfect reagent, and cell differentiation was characterized by accumulation of lipid droplet as indicated by positive Oil-red-O staining of cells.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All these transfected cell lines, MCF-7-N1(transfected with pEGFP-N1 vector), MCF-7-JWA(transfected with pEGFP-N1-JWA vector), MCF-7-JWA-1(transfected with PKC site 1 mutation pEGFP-N1-JWA vector), MCF-7-JWA-2(transfected with PKC site 2 mutation pEGFP-N1-JWA vector), MCF-7-JWA-1+2 (transfected with both PKC site 1 and 2 mutation pEGFP-N1-JWA vector) were treated with 20 nmol/L TPA for 48 h, and the percentages of positive Oil-red-O staining of cells were 48%, 67%, 69%, 67% and 70% respectively. The percentages of cell differentiation in JWA containing vectors transfected cells treated with TPA were significantly higher those of MCF-7-N1 cells (vector only control). However there were no significant differences between mutated and unmutated cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>JWA transfection enhanced MCF-7 cell differentiation induced by TPA significantly, and PKC sites mutation in JWA coding region has no obviously effect on TPA-induced MCF-7 cell differentiation.</p>