Low-dose etoposide-treatment induces endoreplication and cell death accompanied by cytoskeletal alterations in A549 cells. Does the response involve senescence? The possible role of vimentin

After treatment with etoposide, selected biochemical and morphological parameters were examined, including: the activity of senescence-associated Ss-galactosidase, SAHF formation, cell cycle progression, the induction of p21Cip1/Waf1/Sdi1 and cyclin D1, DNA strand breaks, the disruption of cell membrane asymmetry/integrity and ultrastructural alterations. Vimentin and G-actin cytoskeleton was evaluated both cytometrically and microscopically.Etoposide induced a senescence-like phenotype in the population of A549 cells. Morphological alterations were nevertheless not directly coupled with other senescence markers including a stable cell cycle arrest, SAHF formation or p21Cip1/Waf1/Sdi1 induction. Instead, a polyploid, TUNEL-positive fraction of cells visibly grew in number. Also upregulation of cyclin D1 was observed. Here we present preliminary evidence, based on microscopic analyses, that suggest a possible role of vimentin in nuclear alterations accompanying polyploidization-depolyploidization events following genotoxic insults.