[Modulation of alkaline phosphatase by butyrate and prednisolone in uterine cervical cancer cell line (SKG-III)].

The production of late placental alkaline phosphatase (ALP) isoenzyme and the co-presence of a small amount of tissue-unspecific ALP isoenzyme was confirmed in the newly established uterine cervical epidermoid cancer cell line SKG-III. Sodium butyrate (3mM), which has been shown to modulate oncodevelopmental gene expression, was examined after introduction of the agents into confluent cultures. 72 hours after the first sodium butyrate treatment, the amount (per mg cell protein) of total ALP activity increased to 5 times that of control cells and tissue-unspecific insoenzyme occupied about two thirds of the concentration of the modulated ALP. Treatment of SKG-III cells with prednisolone (5 micrograms/ml) for 48 hours caused a 3.5 times increase in total ALP activity, and most of the modulated ALP was occupied by late placental isoenzyme. From these data, it was concluded that sodium butyrate mainly induced tissue-unspecific isoenzyme, while prednisolone induced late placental isoenzyme. The results suggested that SKG-III cells had at least two ALP isoenzyme genes and chemical agents such as sodium butyrate or prednisolone could modulate the ALP isoenzyme profile of these cultured cells in vitro.