Browsing by keyword "bcl-X Protein"
Now showing items 1-5 of 5
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Aerobic glycolysis suppresses p53 activity to provide selective protection from apoptosis upon loss of growth signals or inhibition of BCR-AblUnlike the growth factor dependence of normal cells, cancer cells can maintain growth factor-independent glycolysis and survival through expression of oncogenic kinases, such as BCR-Abl. Although targeted kinase inhibition can promote cancer cell death, therapeutic resistance develops frequently, and further mechanistic understanding is needed. Cell metabolism may be central to this cell death pathway, as we have shown that growth factor deprivation leads to decreased glycolysis that promotes apoptosis via p53 activation and induction of the proapoptotic protein Puma. Here, we extend these findings to show that elevated glucose metabolism, characteristic of cancer cells, can suppress protein kinase Cdelta (PKCdelta)-dependent p53 activation to maintain cell survival after growth factor withdrawal. In contrast, DNA damage-induced p53 activation was PKCdelta independent and was not metabolically sensitive. Both stresses required p53 Ser(18) phosphorylation for maximal activity but led to unique patterns of p53 target gene expression, showing distinct activation and response pathways for p53 that were differentially regulated by metabolism. Consistent with oncogenic kinases acting to replace growth factors, treatment of BCR-Abl-expressing cells with the kinase inhibitor imatinib led to reduced metabolism and p53- and Puma-dependent cell death. Accordingly, maintenance of glucose uptake inhibited p53 activation and promoted imatinib resistance. Furthermore, inhibition of glycolysis enhanced imatinib sensitivity in BCR-Abl-expressing cells with wild-type p53 but had little effect on p53-null cells. These data show that distinct pathways regulate p53 after DNA damage and metabolic stress and that inhibiting glucose metabolism may enhance the efficacy of and overcome resistance to targeted molecular cancer therapies.
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Assessing tumor progression factors by somatic gene transfer into a mouse model: Bcl-xL promotes islet tumor cell invasionTumors develop through multiple stages, implicating multiple effectors, but the tools to assess how candidate genes contribute to stepwise tumor progression have been limited. We have developed a novel system in which progression of phenotypes in a mouse model of pancreatic islet cell tumorigenesis can be used to measure the effects of genes introduced by cell-type-specific infection with retroviral vectors. In this system, bitransgenic mice, in which the rat insulin promoter (RIP) drives expression of both the SV40 T antigen (RIP-Tag) and the receptor for subgroup A avian leukosis virus (RIP-tva), are infected with avian viral vectors carrying cDNAs encoding candidate progression factors. Like RIP-Tag mice, RIP-Tag; RIP-tva bitransgenic mice develop isolated carcinomas by approximately 14 wk of age, after progression through well-defined stages that are similar to aspects of human tumor progression, including hyperplasia, angiogenesis, adenoma, and invasive carcinoma. When avian retroviral vectors carrying a green fluorescent protein marker were introduced into RIP-Tag; RIP-tva mice by intra-cardiac injection at the hyperplastic or early dysplastic stage of tumorigenesis, approximately 20% of the TVA-positive cells were infected and expressed green fluorescent proteins as measured by flow cytometry. Similar infection with vectors carrying cDNA encoding either of two progression factors, a dominant-negative version of cadherin 1 (dnE-cad) or Bcl-xL, accelerated the formation of islet tumors with invasive properties and pancreatic lymph node metastasis. To begin studying the mechanism by which Bcl-xL, an anti-apoptotic protein, promotes invasion and metastasis, RIP-Tag; RIP-tva pancreatic islet tumor cells were infected in vitro with RCASBP-Bcl-xL. Although no changes were observed in rates of proliferation or apoptosis, Bcl-xL altered cell morphology, remodeled the actin cytoskeleton, and down-regulated cadherin 1; it also induced cell migration and invasion, as evaluated using two-chamber transwell assays. In addition, myosin Va was identified as a novel Bcl-xL-interacting protein that might mediate the effects of Bcl-xL on tumor cell migration and invasion.
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Contrasting dynamic responses in vivo of the Bcl-xL and Bim erythropoietic survival pathwaysSurvival signaling by the erythropoietin (Epo) receptor (EpoR) is essential for erythropoiesis and for its acceleration in hypoxic stress. Several apparently redundant EpoR survival pathways were identified in vitro, raising the possibility of their functional specialization in vivo. Here we used mouse models of acute and chronic stress, including a hypoxic environment and β-thalassemia, to identify two markedly different response dynamics for two erythroblast survival pathways in vivo. Induction of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-x(L) is rapid but transient, while suppression of the proapoptotic protein Bim is slower but persistent. Similar to sensory adaptation, however, the Bcl-x(L) pathway "resets," allowing it to respond afresh to acute stress superimposed on a chronic stress stimulus. Using "knock-in" mouse models expressing mutant EpoRs, we found that adaptation in the Bcl-x(L) response occurs because of adaptation of its upstream regulator Stat5, both requiring the EpoR distal cytoplasmic domain. We conclude that survival pathways show previously unsuspected functional specialization for the acute and chronic phases of the stress response. Bcl-x(L) induction provides a "stop-gap" in acute stress, until slower but permanent pathways are activated. Furthermore, pathologic elevation of Bcl-x(L) may be the result of impaired adaptation, with implications for myeloproliferative disease mechanisms.
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Induction of apoptosis by a secreted lipocalin that is transcriptionally regulated by IL-3 deprivationMany hematopoietic cells undergo apoptosis when deprived of specific cytokines, and this process requires de novo RNA/protein synthesis. Using DNA microarrays to analyze interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent murine FL5.12 pro-B cells, we found that the gene undergoing maximal transcriptional induction after cytokine withdrawal is 24p3, which encodes a secreted lipocalin. Conditioned medium from IL-3-deprived FL5.12 cells contained 24p3 and induced apoptosis in naive FL5.12 cells even when IL-3 was present. 24p3 also induced apoptosis in a wide variety of leukocytes but not other cell types. Apoptotic sensitivity correlated with the presence of a putative 24p3 cell surface receptor. We conclude that IL-3 deprivation activates 24p3 transcription, leading to synthesis and secretion of 24p3, which induces apoptosis through an autocrine pathway.
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Nitrosylation of cytochrome c during apoptosisCytochrome c released from mitochondria into the cytoplasm plays a critical role in many forms of apoptosis by stimulating apoptosome formation and subsequent caspase activation. However, the mechanisms regulating cytochrome c apoptotic activity are not understood. Here we demonstrate that cytochrome c is nitrosylated on its heme iron during apoptosis. Nitrosylated cytochrome c is found predominantly in the cytoplasm in control cells. In contrast, when cytochrome c release from mitochondria is inhibited by overexpression of the anti-apoptotic proteins B cell lymphoma/leukemia (Bcl)-2 or Bcl-X(L), nitrosylated cytochrome c is found in the mitochondria. These data suggest that during apoptosis, cytochrome c is nitrosylated in mitochondria and then rapidly released into the cytoplasm in the absence of Bcl-2 or Bcl-X(L) overexpression. In vitro nitrosylation of cytochrome c increases caspase-3 activation in cell lysates. Moreover, the inhibition of intracellular cytochrome c nitrosylation is associated with a decrease in apoptosis, suggesting that cytochrome c nitrosylation is a proapoptotic modification. We conclude that nitrosylation of the heme iron of cytochrome c may be a novel mechanism of apoptosis regulation.
