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American Journal of Pathology, Vol 126, 411-416, Copyright © 1987 by American Society for Investigative Pathology

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Expression of Ha-ras oncogene p21 protein in relation to the cell cycle of cultured human tumor cells

B Czerniak, F Herz, RP Wersto and LG Koss

It has been postulated that the expression of the product (p21) encoded by the ras genes may have a role in cell cycle events. Simultaneous multiparameter flow cytometry was used to measure the p21 content in relation to the cell cycle of several cancer cell lines of human origin. These studies revealed that p21 levels rise during the G1 phase of the cycle and remain approximately constant as cells traverse the S and G2 + M phases. The threshold level of p21 expression of S phase cells was used to divide the G1 cell population into cells with low (G1A) and high (G1B) p21 content. The p21 levels of G1B cells were approximately ten times higher than those of G1A cells. The validity of this subdivision was confirmed by synchronous measurements of RNA content and p21. Cells with low RNA content, hence in early part of G1 phase of the cell cycle, expressed low levels of p21, and cells with higher RNA content expressed higher levels of p21. These observations suggest that the levels of p21 are much lower at the onset of the cell cycle than at its end; hence a drop in p21 expression is likely to occur during or immediately after mitotic division.