Proteomic identification of the wt-p53-regulated tumor cell secretome.

Tumor-stroma interactions play a major role in tumor development, maintenance and progression. Yet little is known on how the genetic alterations that underlie cell transformation elicit cell extrinsic changes modulating heterotypic cell interactions. We hypothesized that these events involve a modification in the complement of secreted proteins by the cell, acting as mediators of intercellular communication. To test this hypothesis, we examined the role of wt-p53, a major tumor suppressor, on the tumor microenvironment through its regulation of secreted factors. Using a combination of 2-DE and cICAT proteomic techniques, we found a total of 111 secreted proteins, 39 of which showed enhanced and 21 inhibited secretion in response to wt-p53 expression. The majority of these were not direct targets of p53 transcription factor activity, suggesting a novel role for wt-p53 in the control of intracellular protein trafficking and/or secreted protein stability. Evidence for p53-controlled post-translational modifications on nine secreted proteins was also found. These findings will enhance our understanding of wt-p53 modulated interactions of the tumor with its environment.

Treatment of hippocampal neurons with cyclosporin A results in calcium overload and apoptosis which are independent on NMDA receptor activation.

Calcineurin is a ubiquitous calcium/calmodulin dependent protein phosphatase that has been shown to regulate the activity of ion channels, glutamate release, and synaptic plasticity. In the present study we show that CsA, a specific inhibitor of calcineurin, affects the survival of cultures developed from hippocampal dentate gyrus. Mixed neuronal-glial cultures exposed to 8 - 40 microM CsA undergo cell death characterized by apoptotic changes in cellular and nuclear morphology. TUNEL-positive staining was observed only in neurons that developed pyknotic morphology after treatment with 8 microM CsA for 24 - 72 h. Immunocytochemical staining with an anti-GFAP monoclonal antibody revealed that astrocytes from mixed neuronal/glial cultures were unaffected by exposure to CsA at doses toxic for neurons and all TUNEL-positive cells were neurons. MK-801, a noncompetitive inhibitor of glutamate receptor, does not inhibit the appearance of TUNEL-positive neurons and apoptotic changes in nuclear morphology. Preincubation of cells with 8 microM CsA increased basal intracellular calcium level in time dependent manner and decreased relative calcium response to glutamate. Application of 1 microM MK-801 had no effect on CsA-induced changes in Ca(2+) level. Our findings suggest that the neuronal death after CsA treatment is not a result of glutamate excitotoxicity and the increase in intracellular calcium concentration in neurons is not dependent on calcium influx via NMDA channel.

Cyclosporin A-sensitive signaling pathway involving calcineurin regulates survival of reactive astrocytes.

Calcineurin, a ubiquitous calcium-activated serine phosphatase, plays an important role in the signal transduction. We have previously reported that cyclosporin A (CsA) inhibits the growth and survival of the rat C6 glioma cells due to the inhibition of signaling pathway involving calcineurin and transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT). In the present study, we show that CsA affects the survival of reactive astrocyte cultures derived from striatal trauma. Exposure of reactive astrocytes to doses of CsA >50 microg/ml for 24--72 h produces morphological changes, including cell body shrinkage and loss of extensions, followed by cell death. This death was accompanied by apoptotic changes in nuclear morphology and DNA fragmentation, as revealed by Hoechst 33258 and positive TUNEL staining. We demonstrated the presence of calcineurin A subunit in reactive astrocytes and corpus callosum (brain structure enriched in astrocytes) and an additional calcineurin-like protein occurring solely in reactive astrocytes. FK506, a calcineurin inhibitor unrelated to CsA, inhibits proliferation of astrocytes and induces death accompanied by apoptotic changes in nuclear morphology and DNA fragmentation. Since calcineurin is a major target for both CsA and FK506, the results suggest that this phosphatase is involved in the regulation of reactive astrocyte survival.

Modulation of the composition of AP-1 complex and its impact on transcriptional activity.

AP-1 transcription factor known to play a role in cell proliferation and neuronal activation, it is also involved in apoptosis of cells in response to stress, DNA damaging agents or lack of survival signals. AP-1 DNA binding complex is not a single transcription factor but a dimer consisting of members of Fos and Jun families. In this review, we discuss evidence that composition of the AP-1 complex is different under various physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Furthermore, we describe biochemical properties of Fos and Jun proteins that may explain the ability of this transcription factor to activate different sets of genes in response to different stimuli. We propose a hypothesis that AP-1 might contribute to distinct biological processes because an activation of specific signaling pathways results in changes of AP-1 composition and/or phosphorylation status and modulates its transactivating potential towards different promoters.

Changes of the trans-activating potential of AP-1 transcription factor during cyclosporin A-induced apoptosis of glioma cells are mediated by phosphorylation and alterations of AP-1 composition.

Although the AP-1 transcription factor is known to play a role in cell proliferation and activation, it is also involved in apoptosis of cells in response to stress, DNA-damaging agents, or lack of survival signals. To understand how AP-1 might contribute to distinct biological processes, we tested a hypothesis that changes in AP-1 composition or phosphorylation state modulate its transcriptional activity during cyclosporin A-induced apoptosis of glioma cells. The induction of AP-1 DNA binding activity composed of c-Jun, JunB, JunD, and ATF-2 proteins preceded apoptosis. The compositional changes of AP-1 were associated with an elevation of c-Jun and JunB protein levels and the appearance of phosphorylated c-Jun and ATF-2 at 15-40 h posttreatment. Immunocytochemistry and staining with Hoechst 33258 revealed an accumulation of phosphorylated c-Jun protein in apoptotic cells. Because c-Jun expression and transcriptional activity are stimulated by phosphorylation at Ser63/73 by c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), we measured JNK activities. We found prolonged induction of JNK activity in extracts from cyclosporin-treated cells, which suggests an involvement of persistent JNK activation in the initiation of glioma cell apoptosis. We provided evidence that variations in AP-1 composition and phosphorylation resulted in modification of trans-activating potential toward different promoters. Whereas collagenase AP-1/TRE-dependent transcription was down-regulated during apoptosis, Fas ligand promoter became activated.

[The role of MAP kinases and inducible transcription factors in the regulation of cell death and survival]. / Rola kinaz MAP i indukowalnych czynników transkrypcyjnych w regulacji proliferacji i smierci komórek.

Cell growth and survival are constantly promoted and modulated by a variety of extracellular stimuli. Modules of sequentially activating protein kinases serve as important routes for the intracellular transmission of signals from diverse stimuli to nucleus. The Raf signaling involving Mitogen-Activated Protein (MAP) kinases is a key element of mitogenic stimulation. The c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) are activated in cells in response to cytokines, stress or proapoptotic stimuli, indicating that this signaling pathway may contribute to inflammatory and cell death phenomena. Cross-talk between different MAP kinase signaling pathways determines cellular responses in stress, apoptosis and normal physiological processes.

Nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) as a new component of the signal transduction pathway in glioma cells.

Cyclosporin A (CsA) exerts its immunosuppressive effect by inhibiting the activity of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), thus preventing transcriptional induction of several cytokine genes. This effect is mediated through inactivation of the phosphatase calcineurin, which inhibits translocation of an NFAT component to the nucleus. We have previously reported that CsA inhibits the growth of rat C6 glioma cells in a dose-dependent manner and induces apoptotic cell death. Here, we report that NFAT DNA-binding activity is present in the nuclear extracts from C6 glioma cells and that CsA treatment inhibits the formation of a functional NFAT complex. We provide evidence for the presence of a group of NFATc proteins in proliferating glioma cells. Immunoblot analyses show that stimulation of C6 glioma cells with a calcium-inducing agent, ionomycin, alters NFATc migration on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This alteration is inhibited by simultaneous treatment with CsA, suggesting a calcineurin involvement in the regulation of glioma NFATc proteins. Direct immunofluorescence reveals the presence of NFATc proteins in nuclei of proliferating glioma cells and their disappearance in CsA-treated cells. These data point to a new mechanism of transcription regulation in glioma cells and provide an explanation for the observed sensitivity of glioma cells to CsA.

Syk kinase, tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins and actin filaments accumulate at forming phagosomes during Fcgamma receptor-mediated phagocytosis.

Phagocytosis mediated by Fcgamma receptors (FcgammaRs) is thought to be regulated by a cascade of tyrosine phosphorylation events that finally leads to the rearrangement of submembranous actin-based cytoskeleton and internalization of particles. Suggestions concerning the functional relationship between protein tyrosine kinases, their substrates, and actin filament reorganization prompted us to determine cellular distribution of these elements during uptake of IgG-coated particles in murine thio-macrophages. We found that the onset of uptake of the particles was accompanied by tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins, among which 90, 50, 40, 30, and 25 kDa polypeptides were distinguished. In most of the proteins the tyrosine hyperphosphorylation persisted up to 3 min of the uptake; however, kinetics of the phosphorylation of individual proteins varied. Immunofluorescence data showed that the phosphotyrosine-bearing proteins were localized in regions of the particle uptake, being concentrated at phagocytic cups and nascent phagosomes. The local enrichment in tyrosine phosphorylated proteins was correlated with accumulation of actin filaments at these early stages of phagosome formation. During phagosome maturation, both tyrosine phosphorylated proteins and microfilaments disappeared from the periphagosomal regions. Syk, one of the tyrosine kinases, was translocated to the regions where FcgammaR-mediated phagocytosis had started. On the contrary, no enrichment in phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase was detected in these places.

Mouse oocytes penetrated by sperm at GV or GVBD stage lose the ability to fuse with additional spermatozoa.

Mouse oocytes penetrated by spermatozoa during germinal vesicle (GV) breakdown undergo maturation and are arrested at metaphase of the second meiotic division despite the presence of sperm nuclei within the ooplasm. When these oocytes were re-inseminated, none was penetrated by newly added spermatozoa. When GV oocytes were inseminated and cultured in the presence of dibutyryl cAMP, the oocytes remained at GV stage, yet they did not permit entry of additional spermatozoa. These observations suggest that the plasma membrane of maturing oocytes is modified by precociously penetrating spermatozoa independently from cortical granule exocytosis. Sperm components incorporated into the oocytes seem to be responsible for the modification of the oocyte's plasma membrane.