Influence of alternariol (AOH) on regulator proteins of cap-dependent translation in porcine endometrial cells

The molecular mechanisms that control the mycotoxin-mediated effects in porcine endometrial cells are far from being completely understood. Recent results show that they could inhibit cell proliferation. The present study investigated the effects of the mycotoxin alternariol (AOH) on the viability of porcine endometrial cells. In this context, the abundance and phosphorylation state (activity) of the eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) and its repressor protein 4E-BP1 (4E binding protein) were investigated. The results show that AOH has an influence on the viability of porcine endometrial cells. A significant reduction of cells in the S phase together with the arrest of the cells in the G0/G1 phase after treatment with 12.5 μM AOH could be indicated. The cell number was also decreased by culturing the cells with 12.5 μM AOH. However, the metabolic activity of endometrial cells was already influenced by AOH concentrations of 3.12 μM. These data are in agreement with the detected dephosphorylation of 4E-BP1 and eIF4E and let assume that AOH effects gene expression on translational level. Furthermore, a binding of AOH to estrogen receptor (ER) or an influence on the abundance of the ERα could not be detected.