scholarly journals α-Toxin is a mediator of Staphylococcus aureus–induced cell death and activates caspases via the intrinsic death pathway independently of death receptor signaling

2001 ◽  
Vol 155 (4) ◽  
pp. 637-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heike Bantel ◽  
Bhanu Sinha ◽  
Wolfram Domschke ◽  
Georg Peters ◽  
Klaus Schulze-Osthoff ◽  
...  

Infections with Staphylococcus aureus, a common inducer of septic and toxic shock, often result in tissue damage and death of various cell types. Although S. aureus was suggested to induce apoptosis, the underlying signal transduction pathways remained elusive. We show that caspase activation and DNA fragmentation were induced not only when Jurkat T cells were infected with intact bacteria, but also after treatment with supernatants of various S. aureus strains. We also demonstrate that S. aureus–induced cell death and caspase activation were mediated by α-toxin, a major cytotoxin of S. aureus, since both events were abrogated by two different anti–α-toxin antibodies and could not be induced with supernatants of an α-toxin–deficient S. aureus strain. Furthermore, α-toxin–induced caspase activation in CD95-resistant Jurkat sublines lacking CD95, Fas-activated death domain, or caspase-8 but not in cells stably expressing the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. Together with our finding that α-toxin induces cytochrome c release in intact cells and, interestingly, also from isolated mitochondria in a Bcl-2-controlled manner, our results demonstrate that S. aureus α-toxin triggers caspase activation via the intrinsic death pathway independently of death receptors. Hence, our findings clearly define a signaling pathway used in S. aureus–induced cytotoxicity and may provide a molecular rationale for future therapeutic interventions in bacterial infections.

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (23) ◽  
pp. 10289-10299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula B. Deming ◽  
Zachary T. Schafer ◽  
Jessica S. Tashker ◽  
Malia B. Potts ◽  
Mohanish Deshmukh ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Bcr-Abl, activated in chronic myelogenous leukemias, is a potent cell death inhibitor. Previous reports have shown that Bcr-Abl prevents apoptosis through inhibition of mitochondrial cytochrome c release. We report here that Bcr-Abl also inhibits caspase activation after the release of cytochrome c. Bcr-Abl inhibited caspase activation by cytochrome c added to cell-free lysates and prevented apoptosis when cytochrome c was microinjected into intact cells. Bcr-Abl acted posttranslationally to prevent the cytochrome c-induced binding of Apaf-1 to procaspase 9. Although Bcr-Abl prevented interaction of endogenous Apaf-1 with the recombinant prodomain of caspase 9, it did not affect the association of endogenous caspase 9 with the isolated Apaf-1 caspase recruitment domain (CARD) or Apaf-1 lacking WD-40 repeats. These data suggest that Apaf-1 recruitment of caspase 9 is faulty in the presence of Bcr-Abl and that cytochrome c/dATP-induced exposure of the Apaf-1 CARD is likely defective. These data provide a novel locus of Bcr-Abl antiapoptotic action and suggest a distinct mechanism of apoptosomal inhibition.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Anaïs Locquet ◽  
Gabriel Ichim ◽  
Joseph Bisaccia ◽  
Aurelie Dutour ◽  
Serge Lebecque ◽  
...  

AbstractIn cancer cells only, TLR3 acquires death receptor properties by efficiently triggering the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis with Caspase-8 as apical protease. Here, we demonstrate that in the absence of Caspase-8, activation of TLR3 can trigger a form of programmed cell death, which is distinct from classical apoptosis. When TLR3 was activated in the Caspase-8 negative neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y, cell death was accompanied by lysosomal permeabilization. Despite caspases being activated, lysosomal permeabilization as well as cell death were not affected by blocking caspase-activity, positioning lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) upstream of caspase activation. Taken together, our data suggest that LMP with its deadly consequences represents a “default” death mechanism in cancer cells, when Caspase-8 is absent and apoptosis cannot be induced.


2004 ◽  
Vol 382 (3) ◽  
pp. 877-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno GUIGAS ◽  
Dominique DETAILLE ◽  
Christiane CHAUVIN ◽  
Cécile BATANDIER ◽  
Frédéric De OLIVEIRA ◽  
...  

Metformin, a drug widely used in the treatment of Type II diabetes, has recently received attention owing to new findings regarding its mitochondrial and cellular effects. In the present study, the effects of metformin on respiration, complex 1 activity, mitochondrial permeability transition, cytochrome c release and cell death were investigated in cultured cells from a human carcinoma-derived cell line (KB cells). Metformin significantly decreased respiration both in intact cells and after permeabilization. This was due to a mild and specific inhibition of the respiratory chain complex 1. In addition, metformin prevented to a significant extent mitochondrial permeability transition both in permeabilized cells, as induced by calcium, and in intact cells, as induced by the glutathione-oxidizing agent t-butyl hydroperoxide. This effect was equivalent to that of cyclosporin A, the reference inhibitor. Finally, metformin impaired the t-butyl hydroperoxide-induced cell death, as judged by Trypan Blue exclusion, propidium iodide staining and cytochrome c release. We propose that metformin prevents the permeability transition-related commitment to cell death in relation to its mild inhibitory effect on complex 1, which is responsible for a decreased probability of mitochondrial permeability transition.


2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (21) ◽  
pp. 7838-7848 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nerina Gnesutta ◽  
Audrey Minden

ABSTRACT Normal cell growth requires a precisely controlled balance between cell death and survival. This involves activation of different types of intracellular signaling cascades within the cell. While some types of signaling proteins regulate apoptosis, or programmed cell death, other proteins within the cell can promote survival. The serine/threonine kinase PAK4 can protect cells from apoptosis in response to several different types of stimuli. As is the case for other members of the p21-activated kinase (PAK) family, one way that PAK4 may promote cell survival is by phosphorylating and thereby inhibiting the proapoptotic protein Bad. This leads in turn to the inhibition of effector caspases such as caspase 3. Here we show that in response to cytokines which activate death domain-containing receptors, such as the tumor necrosis factor and Fas receptors, PAK4 can inhibit the death signal by a different mechanism. Under these conditions, PAK4 inhibits apoptosis early in the caspase cascade, antagonizing the activation of initiator caspase 8. This inhibition, which does not require PAK4's kinase activity, may involve inhibition of caspase 8 recruitment to the death domain receptors. This role in regulating initiator caspases is an entirely novel role for the PAK proteins and suggests a new mechanism by which these proteins promote cell survival.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (24) ◽  
pp. 11490-11494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürgen Brojatsch ◽  
John Naughton ◽  
Heather B. Adkins ◽  
John A. T. Young

ABSTRACT The identification of TVBS3, a cellular receptor for the cytopathic subgroups B and D of avian leukosis virus (ALV-B and ALV-D), as a tumor necrosis factor receptor-related death receptor with a cytoplasmic death domain, provides a compelling argument that viral Env-receptor interactions are linked to cell death (4). However, other TVB proteins have been described that appear to have similar death domains but are cellular receptors for the noncytopathic subgroup E of ALV (ALV-E): TVBT, a turkey subgroup E-specific ALV receptor, and TVBS1, a chicken receptor for subgroups B, D, and E ALV. To begin to understand the role of TVB receptors in the cytopathic effects associated with infection by specific ALV subgroups, we asked whether binding of a soluble ALV-E surface envelope protein (SU) to its receptor can lead to cell death. Here we report that ALV-E SU-receptor interactions can induce apoptosis in quail or turkey cells. We also show directly that TVBS1and TVBT are functional death receptors that can trigger cell death by apoptosis via a mechanism involving their cytoplasmic death domains and activation of the caspase pathway. These data demonstrate that ALV-B and ALV-E use functional death receptors to enter cells, and it remains to be determined why only subgroups B and D viral infections lead specifically to cell death.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 3398-3398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Tzu Tai ◽  
Xian-Feng Li ◽  
Rory Coffey ◽  
Iris Breitkreutz ◽  
Laurence Catley ◽  
...  

Abstract CD27, a member of tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily that lacks a death domain in its cytoplasmic region, and its interaction with its ligand, CD70, is crucial for differentiation into plasma cells. In malignant B cells, aberrant expression and reverse signaling of CD70 might contribute to disease progression. Recent studies showed that CD27 is heterogeneously expressed on multiple myeloma (MM) plasma cells and the expression is reduced with the progression of MM. However, a possible role for the loss of CD27-CD70 interaction in myelomagenesis was never defined. In this study, we identify functional significance of CD27-CD70 interaction in 4 CD27-expressing MM lines and define mechanisms regulating CD27-mediated MM cell death. Using RT-PCR and flow cytometric analysis, we first found that all of MM lines highly express CD70 (n=10) and 4 MM lines 12BM, 12PE, 28BM, 28PE express CD27 on the cell surface. We next evaluated the effect of CD27 ligation, by CD70-transfected NIH3T3 cells (CD70 transfectant), on [3H] thymidine incorporation by CD27-expressing MM lines. CD27 ligation by CD70 transfectants inhibited DNA synthesis in these 4 CD27-expressing MM lines, but not the control transfectants. Conversely, a blocking anti-CD70 mAb blocked CD27-mediated growth inhibition in a dose-dependent manner, indicating induced growth inhibition specific triggered by CD27-CD70 interaction. Using MTT assay, CD27 ligation by CD70 transfectant also inhibited MM cell survival. IL-6 (20 ng/ml) could overcome the inhibitory effect triggered by CD27 ligation on MM cell growth and survival. In addition, CD27 ligation further enhanced Dex-induced MM cell death. Importantly, CD27-mediated MM cell death was also observed in 2 CD27-expressing patient MM cells. Since Siva is a death domain-containing proapoptotic protein identified as an intracellular ligand of CD27, we investigated its role in CD27-mediated apoptosis in MM cells. Overexpression of Siva by transducing adenovirus-expressing Siva (Ad-Siva-GFP) in 12BM MM line is sufficient to induce cell death whereas control adenovirus (Ad-GFP) transduction did not alter 12BM cell growth and survival. CD27 ligation by CD70 transfectants on Siva-overexpressing 12BM cells further enhanced Siva-induced apoptosis, as evidenced by increased subG0 fraction in cell cycle analysis. Thus, the apoptosis triggered by Siva overexpression was related to the CD27-mediated apoptotic pathway. We further determined caspase involvement in the Siva-induced apoptosis in the absence and presence of CD70 transfectants. Caspase 8 and caspase 9 activities were detected 24h following Ad-Siva-GFP transduction in 12BM cells, whereas caspas-3 activity was detected 48h after transduction. Coculture of Ad-Siva-GFP-transduced 12BM cells with CD70 transfectant further enhanced caspase activities. Therefore, overexpression of Siva is sufficient to induce apoptosis and CD27-mediated apoptosis is mediated by Siva-dependent caspase activation in MM. Furthermore, these results suggest that lack of CD27 may lead to evasion of apoptosis in human MM.


2001 ◽  
Vol 281 (5) ◽  
pp. C1596-C1603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricky Malhotra ◽  
Zhiwu Lin ◽  
Claudius Vincenz ◽  
Frank C. Brosius

Glucose uptake and metabolism inhibit hypoxia-induced apoptosis in a variety of cell types, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. In the present study, we explore hypoxia-mediated cell death pathways in Jurkat cells in the presence and absence of extracellular glucose. In the absence of extracellular glucose, hypoxia caused cytochrome c release, caspase 3 and poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase cleavage, and DNA fragmentation; this apoptotic response was blocked by the caspase 9 inhibitor z-LEHD-FMK. The presence of extracellular glucose during hypoxia prevented cytochrome c release and activation of caspase 9 but did not prevent apoptosis in Jurkat cells. In these conditions, overexpression of the caspase 8 inhibitor v-FLIP prevented hypoxia-mediated cell death. Thus hypoxia can stimulate two apoptotic pathways in Jurkat cells, one dependent on cytochrome c release from mitochondria that is prevented by glucose uptake and metabolism, and the other independent of cytochrome c release and resulting from activation of the death receptor pathway, which is accelerated by glucose uptake and metabolism.


2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 733-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori Emert-Sedlak ◽  
Sanjeev Shangary ◽  
Asaf Rabinovitz ◽  
Michelle B. Miranda ◽  
Scott M. Delach ◽  
...  

2003 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1260-1272 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Essmann ◽  
H Bantel ◽  
G Totzke ◽  
I H Engels ◽  
B Sinha ◽  
...  

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