Investigation of the epigenetic response to the apoptotic effect of caspase-3 in colon cancer cell line (HT-29)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer represents the third most prevalent cause of cancer-related fatalities, attributable to its high rate of recurrence and mounting resistance to existing therapeutic interventions. The objective of this study was to undertake a comparative analysis of caspase-3, HDAC1 and HDAC2 gene expression levels in HUVEC and HT-29 cells, with a view to elucidating the interplay between apoptotic and epigenetic mechanisms. METHODS The study was conducted by culturing the HT-29 and HUVEC cell lines under appropriate conditions and performing real-time PCR to measure the gene expression levels of caspase-3, HDAC1, and HDAC2 in the cells. RESULTS The results obtained revealed a high level of caspase-3 activity and a low levels of HDAC1 and HDAC2 activity in the HUVEC cells.In contrast, a low level of caspase-3 activity and high levels of HDAC1 and HDAC2 activity were detected in the HT-29 cells. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that the epigenetic response to the apoptotic effect of caspase-3 in the colon cancer cell line (HT-29) and the HUVEC cell line was found to be associated with a negative correlation, suggesting that these genes may serve as potential biomarkers for colon cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords

• Caspase-3
• colon cancer
• HT-29
• HDAC1
• HDAC2
• HUVEC

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