ABSTRACT
Although activation of protein kinase C (PKC) inhibits apoptosis induced by a variety of stimuli including singlet oxygen, the step at which PKC activation interferes with apoptotic signaling is not well defined. We have shown previously that caspase-8 and p38 mediate singlet oxygen-induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells. In this study, we investigated the influence of PKC on regulation of the caspase and p38 pathways initiated by singlet oxygen. Singlet oxygen induced Fas clustering and subsequent recruitment of FADD and caspase-8. Treatment of cells with the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a PKC activator, did not affect the binding of caspase-8 to the aggregated Fas. Surprisingly, under the same conditions PKC activation was still able to prevent singlet oxygen-induced activation of caspase-8 and block its downstream signaling events including cleavage of Bid and caspase-3, decrease in mitochondrial transmembrane potential and release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. Inhibition of PKC by GF109203 or H7 counteracted the TPA-mediated effects on the cleavage of caspases -3 and -8. However, neither activation nor inhibition of PKC affected p38 phosphorylation. These data indicate that PKC inhibits singlet oxygen-induced apoptosis by blocking activation of caspase-8.
Subject(s)
Arabidopsis Proteins , Caspases/metabolism , Enzyme Activation , Oxygen/metabolism , Protein Kinase C/metabolism , Apoptosis , Blotting, Western , Carrier Proteins/metabolism , Caspase 3 , Caspase 8 , Caspase 9 , Cells, Cultured , Cytochrome c Group/metabolism , DNA Fragmentation , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology , Fatty Acid Desaturases/metabolism , Flavonoids/pharmacology , HL-60 Cells , Humans , Ligands , MAP Kinase Signaling System , Membrane Potentials , Microscopy, Confocal , Mitochondria/metabolism , Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism , Phosphorylation , Protein Binding , Protein Isoforms , Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate/metabolism , Tumor Cells, Cultured , Ultraviolet Rays , fas Receptor/metabolism , p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein KinasesABSTRACT
p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase is activated and involved in cleavage of caspase-3 during apoptosis induced by a number of stimuli. However, the signaling events triggered by p38 that result in caspase-3 activation are still unknown. In human leukemia cells, two reactive oxygen species, singlet oxygen and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), selectively stimulated the phosphorylation of p38. Preincubation of cells with SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38, dose dependently inhibited DNA fragmentation induced by singlet oxygen but not by H(2)O(2). Protection from apoptosis by SB203580 correlated with inhibition of caspase-3, and several events that are associated with caspase-3 activation, including Bid cleavage, decrease in mitochondrial transmembrane potential and release of cytochrome c from mitochondria, whereas caspase-8 cleavage was not affected by this inhibitor. In contrast, blockade of caspase-8 with Ile-Glu-Thr-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone is sufficient to prevent formation of DNA fragments and to inhibit all the above signaling events, with exception of p38 phosphorylation, in both singlet oxygen- and H(2)O(2)-treated cells. These data suggest that caspase-3 activation is regulated through redundant signaling pathways that involve p38 and caspase-8 acting upstream of Bid during singlet oxygen-induced apoptosis, whereas the activation of caspase-3 by H(2)O(2) is only governed by a caspase-8-mediated apoptotic pathway.