Transcriptional modulation of apoptosis regulators by roscovitine and related compounds.

Chemical inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK), like roscovitine, are promising drugs in the context of new cancer therapies. Roscovitine and related compounds, like seliciclib and olomoucine, are effective inducers of apoptosis in many proliferating cells in culture. These compounds are known to activate the intrinsic or mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. In order to better characterize this intrinsic pathway, a transcriptional analysis was performed using the reverse transcriptase-multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification procedure (RT-MLPA). In five cell lines, we detected an early and marked reduction of most transcripts, which is consistent with the disruption of transcription that results from the inhibition of CDK7 and CDK9. However, the mRNA of p53-upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) gene escaped from this transcription inhibition in neuroblastoma cells with a functional p53 protein. The increase of PUMA mRNA was not found in roscovitine-treated cell lines defective in p53, which underwent apoptosis like their p53 proficient counterparts. In addition, in SH-SY5Y cells, sublethal and lethal concentrations of roscovitine produced equivalent increases of PUMA mRNA and protein. In conclusion, the increased expression of PUMA was not associated with apoptosis induction. On the contrary, mRNA and protein depletion of MCL-1 gene correlated the best with cell demise. Moreover, NOXA protein suffered a far minor decrease than MCL-1. Because of the selective neutralization of NOXA by MCL-1, we hypothesize that the disruption of this balance is a critical event in apoptosis induction by roscovitine and related compounds.

BAX and BAK proteins are required for cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitory drugs to cause apoptosis.

In previous reports, we have shown in SH-SY5 cells that olomoucine and roscovitine, two inhibitory drugs of cyclin-dependent kinases, caused apoptosis independent of the extrinsic pathway. In this experimental paradigm, apoptosis was refractory to the protective effects of either Bcl-2 or Bcl-XL overexpression. We are now reporting that the failure of Bcl-XL to prevent dell death was consistent with no effect on the kinetics of caspase activation and cytochrome c release. To further characterize this issue, we have discarded a direct effect of either olomoucine or roscovitine on mitochondrial permeability transition. Moreover, we have evidence that an intrinsic pathway took place in SH-SY5Y cells by showing the mitochondrial translocation of a GFP-Bax construct on transfection and treatment with cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitory drugs. Finally, we tested the effect of olomoucine and roscovitine on wild-type, bax-/-, bak-/-, and double bax-/-bak-/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF). In wild-type MEFs, both drugs induced cell death by apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. In bax-/-, bak-/-, and, particularly, double bax-/-bak-/- MEFs, we observed the inhibition of apoptosis. In conclusion, olomoucine and roscovitine caused apoptosis through an intrinsic pathway, with Bax and Bak proteins being involved.

7-Bromoindirubin-3'-oxime uncovers a serine protease-mediated paradigm of necrotic cell death.

The new 7-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (7BIO) compound induces caspase-independent cell death in all cell lines tested to date. Irrespective of the cell line, a 25 microM treatment for 24 h is lethal for the entire cell population. In SH-SY5Y and Jurkat cells, 7BIO (25 microM) was found to collapse the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (DeltaPsi m) at only 2-3 h of treatment. Concomitantly mitochondria swelled, cristae disrupted and, after 9 h, external cell membranes ruptured. In addition, endoplasmic reticulum dilated and, unexpectedly, the acute cytoplasmic destruction yielded isolated nuclei with preserved morphology and DNA integrity. Furthermore, the process was independent of both Bax and Bak, since cell viability and DeltaPsi m decayed indistinguishably in double Bax-/-Bak-/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and their wild type counterparts. Pharmacological inhibition of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) did not prevent 7BIO-induced DeltaPsi m loss in none of the aforementioned cell lines. Caspase-independent inducers of cell death like AIF (Apoptosis Inducing Factor), cathepsins and calpains were not involved. Only the chemical inhibitors of serine proteases and, particularly, AEBSF afforded a significant protection thus suggesting a process regulated by this type of enzymes. As far as we know, these features are quite unique once taken together. Therefore, we propose 7BIO is triggering a specific type of necrotic cell death. Finally, the cytotoxicity of 7BIO on apoptosis-resistant cells like double Bax-/-Bak-/- MEFs seems of great interest envisaging cancer therapy.