Deoxycholic acid-induced apoptosis is switched to necrosis by bcl-2 and calphostin C.

We previously demonstrated that the cytotoxicity associated with exposure of HCT116 cells to deoxycholic acid was due to the induction of apoptosis. Here we show that this results in activation of caspase 3 and that over expression of bcl-2 can suppress this. Surprisingly, inhibition of apoptosis by over expression of bcl-2 or incubation with calphostin C, a PKC inhibitor, did not enhance cell survival, but instead caused a switchover to death by necrosis. Hence, DCA-induced apoptosis requires caspase activity and both bcl-2 and PKC can determine the type of cell death induced by deoxycholic acid.

Bile acid-induced activation of activator protein-1 requires both extracellular signal-regulated kinase and protein kinase C signaling.

Elevated concentrations of fecal bile aids are known to promote colon cancer and increasing evidence suggests that alterations in cellular signaling and gene expression may play an important role in this process. In this study, we examined the molecular mechanisms underlying bile acid-mediated gene regulation using GADD153 as our model gene. Promoter deletion analyses revealed that the activator protein-1 (AP-1) transcription factor was crucial for deoxycholic acid (DCA)-mediated GADD153 gene transcription. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays and transient transfection analyses demonstrated that both DNA binding and transactivation activities of AP-1 were induced by DCA in a dose-dependent manner. The AP-1 complex induced by DCA consisted of JunD, Fra-1, and c-Fos. Examination of the signaling pathways stimulated by DCA showed that extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) were required for AP-1 activation. Inhibition of ERK by the mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase inhibitor PD 98059 or by expression of a dominant negative mutant ERK suppressed AP-1 activation. Notably, the PKC inhibitor, calphostin C, also abolished DCA-induced AP-1 activation but did not affect DCA-mediated ERK activation, suggesting that ERK and PKC function in separate signaling pathways that cooperatively mediate DCA-induced AP-1 activation. Hence, bile acid-stimulated signaling appears to converge on the AP-1 protooncogene.

Different bile acids exhibit distinct biological effects: the tumor promoter deoxycholic acid induces apoptosis and the chemopreventive agent ursodeoxycholic acid inhibits cell proliferation.

Epidemiological studies have suggested that the concentration and composition of fecal bile acids are important determining factors in the etiology of colon cancer. However, the mechanism by which these compounds influence tumor development is not understood. To begin to elucidate their mechanism of action, four bile acids, cholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid, deoxycholic acid (DCA), and ursodeoxycholic acid, were examined for their effects on the growth of several different tumor cell lines. We found that incubating cells with chenodeoxycholic acid or DCA caused morphological changes, seen by electron and light microscopy, that were characteristic of apoptosis, whereas incubating cells with ursodeoxycholic acid inhibited cell proliferation but did not induce apoptosis. Cholic acid had no discernible effect on cells. Notably, the apoptosis induced by DCA could be suppressed by inhibiting protein kinase C activity with calphostin C. These results indicate that different bile acids exhibit distinct biological activities and suggest that the cytotoxicity reported for DCA may be due to its capacity to induce apoptosis via a protein kinase C-dependent signaling pathway.