Activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway through P2Y2 receptors by extracellular ATP is involved in osteoblastic cell proliferation

We studied the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway modulation and its involvement in the stimulation of ROS 17/2.8 osteoblast-like cell proliferation by extracellular ATP. A dose- and time-dependent increase in Akt-Ser 473 phosphorylation (p-Akt) was observed. p-Akt was increased by ATPγS and UTP, but not by ADPβS. Akt activation was abolished by PI3K inhibitors and reduced by inhibitors of PI-PLC, Src, calmodulin (CaM) but not of CaMK. p-Akt was diminished by cell incubation in a Ca²⁺-free medium but not by the use of L-type calcium channel blockers. The rise in intracellular Ca²⁺ induced by ATP was potentiated in the presence of Ro318220, a PKC inhibitor, and attenuated by the TPA, a known activator of PKC. ATP-dependent p-Akt was diminished by TPA and augmented by Ro318220 treatment in a Ca²⁺-containing but not in a Ca²⁺-free medium. ATP stimulated the proliferation of both ROS 17/2.8 cells and rat osteoblasts through PI3K/Akt. In the primary osteoblasts, ATP induces alkaline phosphatase activity via PI3K, suggesting that the nucleotide promotes osteoblast differentiation. These results suggest that ATP stimulates osteoblast proliferation through PI-PLC linked-P2Y₂ receptors and PI3K/Akt pathway activation involving Ca²⁺, CaM and Src. PKC seems to regulate Akt activation through Src and the Ca²⁺ influx/CaM pathway.     

Protein kinase C negatively regulates Akt activity and modifies UVC-induced apoptosis in mouse keratinocytes

Skin keratinocytes are subject to frequent chemical and physical injury and have developed elaborate cell survival mechanisms to compensate. Among these, the Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) pathway protects keratinocytes from the toxic effects of ultraviolet light (UV). In contrast, the protein kinase C (PKC) family is involved in several keratinocyte death pathways. During an examination of potential interactions among these two pathways, we found that the insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) activates both the PKC and the Akt signaling pathways in cultured primary mouse keratinocytes as indicated by increased phospho-PKC and phospho-Ser-473-Akt. IGF-1 also selectively induced translocation of PKCdelta and PKCepsilon from soluble to particulate fractions in mouse keratinocytes. Furthermore, the PKC-specific inhibitor, GF109203X, increased IGF-1-induced phospho-Ser-473-Akt and Akt kinase activity and enhanced IGF-1 protection from UVC-induced apoptosis. Selective activation of PKC by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) reduced phospho-Ser-473-Akt, suggesting that activation of PKC inhibits Akt activity. TPA also attenuated IGF-1 and epidermal growth factor-induced phospho-Ser-473-Akt, reduced Akt kinase activity, and blocked IGF-1 protection from UVC-induced apoptosis. The inhibition of Akt activity by TPA was reduced by inhibitors of protein phosphatase 2A, and TPA stimulated the association of phosphatase 2A with Akt. Individual PKC isoforms were overexpressed in cultured keratinocytes by transduction with adenoviral vectors or inhibited with PKC-selective inhibitors. These studies indicated that PKCdelta and PKCepsilon were selectively potent at causing dephosphorylation of Akt and modifying cell survival, whereas PKCalpha enhanced phosphorylation of Akt on Ser-473. Our results suggested that activation of PKCdelta and PKCepsilon provide a negative regulation for Akt phosphorylation and kinase activity in mouse keratinocytes and serve as modulators of cell survival pathways in response to external stimuli.     

Activation of Protein Kinase C Triggers Its Ubiquitination and Degradation

Treatment of cells with tumor-promoting phorbol esters results in the activation but then depletion of phorbol ester-responsive protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms. The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway has been implicated in regulating the levels of many cellular proteins, including those involved in cell cycle control. We report here that in 3Y1 rat fibroblasts, proteasome inhibitors prevent the depletion of PKC isoforms α, δ, and in response to the tumor-promoting phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Proteasome inhibitors also blocked the tumor-promoting effects of TPA on 3Y1 cells overexpressing c-Src, which results from the depletion of PKC δ. Consistent with the involvement of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in the degradation of PKC isoforms, ubiquitinated PKC α, δ, and were detected within 30 min of TPA treatment. Diacylglycerol, the physiological activator of PKC, also stimulated ubiquitination and degradation of PKC, suggesting that ubiquitination is a physiological response to PKC activation. Compounds that inhibit activation of PKC prevented both TPA- and diacylglycerol-induced PKC depletion and ubiquitination. Moreover, a kinase-dead ATP-binding mutant of PKC α could not be depleted by TPA treatment. These data are consistent with a suicide model whereby activation of PKC triggers its own degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.     

Biphasic effect of protein kinase C activators on spontaneous and glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis in primary mouse thymocytes

Spontaneous and glucocorticoid (fluocinolone acetonide, FA)-induced apoptosis of primary mouse thymocytes was inhibited by protein kinase C (PKC) activators such as bryostatin-1 and phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13 acetate (TPA) within the first 2-4 h of incubation but was enhanced upon prolonged treatment. Only the anti-apoptotic but not the pro-apoptotic effect of TPA was completely suppressed by the PKC inhibitor Goe 6983 and moderately inhibited by Goe 6976. Immunoblot analysis revealed distinct PKC alpha, beta, delta, eta, theta, mu and zeta signals, a very faint PKCepsilon and no PKCgamma signal. Upon prolonged TPA treatment all PKC isoenzymes became downregulated, albeit at different rates (PKCdelta>alpha>mu>beta,theta>eta,zeta). No significant generation of caspase-derived catalytic PKC fragments, as found to be produced upon induction of apoptosis and to be pro-apoptotic in other systems, was observed in FA- or TPA-treated thymocytes. It is concluded that the early anti-apoptotic effect of TPA depends on the activation of n-type PKC isoenzymes, whereas stimulation of spontaneous and FA-induced apoptosis by TPA ensues, at least partially, from a downregulation (or inactivation) of anti-apoptotic PKC species, i.e. in primary thymocytes PKC activation is primarily involved in a negative regulation of apoptosis.     

Regulation of H(2)O(2)-induced necrosis by PKC and AMP-activated kinase signaling in primary cultured hepatocytes

Recent studies have suggested that, in certain cases, necrosis, like apoptosis, may be programmed, involving the activation and inhibition of many signaling pathways. In this study, we examined whether necrosis induced by H(2)O(2) is regulated by signaling pathways in primary hepatocytes. A detailed time course revealed that H(2)O(2) treated to hepatocytes is consumed within minutes, but hepatocytes undergo necrosis several hours later. Thus, H(2)O(2) treatment induces a "lag phase" where signaling changes occur, including PKC activation, Akt (PKB) downregulation, activation of JNK, and downregulation of AMP-activated kinase (AMPK). Investigation of various inhibitors demonstrated that PKC inhibitors were effective in reducing necrosis caused by H(2)O(2) (~80%). PKC inhibitor treatment decreased PKC activity but, surprisingly, also upregulated Akt and AMPK, suggesting that various PKC isoforms negatively regulate Akt and AMPK. Akt did not appear to play a significant role in H(2)O(2)-induced necrosis, since PKC inhibitor treatment protected hepatocytes from H(2)O(2) even when Akt was inhibited. On the other hand, compound C, a selective AMPK inhibitor, abrogated the protective effect of PKC inhibitors against necrosis induced by H(2)O(2). Furthermore, AMPK activators protected against H(2)O(2)-induced necrosis, suggesting that much of the protective effect of PKC inhibition was mediated through the upregulation of AMPK. Work with PKC inhibitors suggested that atypical PKC downregulates AMPK in response to H(2)O(2). Knockdown of PKC-alpha using antisense oligonucleotides also slightly protected (~22%) against H(2)O(2). Taken together, our data demonstrate that the modulation of signaling pathways involving PKC and AMPK can alter H(2)O(2)-induced necrosis, suggesting that a signaling "program" is important in mediating H(2)O(2)-induced necrosis in primary hepatocytes.     

Activation of PKC is sufficient to induce an apoptotic program in salivary gland acinar cells

Accumulating evidence suggests that specific isoforms of PKC may function to promote apoptosis. We show here that activation of the conventional and novel isoforms of PKC with 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13- ester (TPA) induces apoptosis in salivary acinar cells as indicated by DNA fragmentation and activation of caspase-3. TPA-induced DNA fragmentation, caspase-3 activation, and morphologic indicators of apoptosis, can be enhanced by pretreatment of cells with the calpain inhibitor, calpeptin, prior to the addition of TPA. Analysis of PKC isoform expression by immunoblot shows that TPA-induced downregulation of PKC alpha and PKC delta is delayed in cells pre-treated with calpeptin, and that this correlates with an increase of these isoforms in the membrane fraction of cells. TPA-induced apoptosis is accompanied by biphasic activation of the c-jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway and inactivation of the extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) pathway. Expression of constitutively activated PKC alpha or PKC delta, but not kinase negative mutants of these isoforms, or constitutively activated PKC epsilon, induces apoptosis in salivary acinar cells, suggesting a role for these isoforms in TPA-induced apoptosis. These studies demonstrate that activation of PKC is sufficient for initiation of an apoptotic program in salivary acinar cells. Cell Death and Differentiation (2000) 7, 1200 - 1209.     

Rictor Undergoes Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 (GSK3)-dependent,FBXW7-mediated Ubiquitination and Proteasomal Degradation

Rictor, an essential component of mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2), plays a pivotal role in regulating mTOR signaling and other biological functions. Posttranslational regulation of rictor (e.g. via degradation) and its underlying mechanism are largely undefined and thus are the focus of this study. Chemical inhibition of the proteasome increased rictor ubiquitination and levels. Consistently, inhibition of FBXW7 with various genetic means including knockdown, knock-out, and enforced expression of a dominant-negative mutant inhibited rictor ubiquitination and increased rictor levels, whereas enforced expression of FBXW7 decreased rictor stability and levels. Moreover, we detected an interaction between FBXW7 and rictor. Hence, rictor is degraded through an FBXW7-mediated ubiquitination/proteasome mechanism. We show that this process is dependent on glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3): GSK3 was associated with rictor and directly phosphorylated the Thr-1695 site in a putative CDC4 phospho-degron motif of rictor; mutation of this site impaired the interaction between rictor and FBXW7, decreased rictor ubiquitination, and increased rictor stability. Finally, enforced activation of Akt enhanced rictor levels and increased mTORC2 activity as evidenced by increased formation of mTORC2 and elevated phosphorylation of Akt, SGK1, and PKCα. Hence we suggest that PI3K/Akt signaling may positively regulate mTORC2 signaling, likely through suppressing GSK3-dependent rictor degradation.     

DNA damage stress and inhibition of Jak2-V617F cause its degradation and synergistically induce apoptosis through activation of GSK3β

The cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase Jak2 plays a crucial role in cytokine receptor signaling in hematopoietic cells. The activated Jak2-V617F mutant is present in most cases of BCR/ABL-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms and constitutively activates downstream signals from homodimeric cytokine receptors, such as the erythropoietin receptor (EpoR). Here we examine the effects of DNA damage stress on Jak2 or Jak2-V617F and on induction of apoptosis in hematopoietic cells. Etoposide or doxorubicin dose-dependently decreased the expression level of Jak2 in UT7 or 32D cells expressing EpoR in the absence of Epo and that of exogenously expressed Jak2-V617F in UT7 cells when cotreated with the Jak2 inhibitor JakI-1 or AG490. Studies with pharmacological inhibitors and genetic manipulations further showed that downregulation of the PI3K/Akt pathway leading to the activation of GSK3β may be involved in downregulation of Jak2 or Jak2-V617F as well as in synergistic induction of Bax activation and apoptosis. The downregulation of Jak2 was inhibited by the proteasome inhibitor MG132 or by expression of both of loss-of-function mutants of c-Cbl and Cbl-b, E3 ubiquitin ligases which facilitated ubiquitination of Jak2-V617F when co-expressed in 293T cells. The pan-caspase inhibitor Boc-d-fmk also inhibited the Jak2 downregulation as well as appearance of a 100-kDa fragment that contained the N-terminal portion of Jak2 in response to DNA damage. Together, these data suggest that DNA damage stress with simultaneous inhibition of the kinase activity causes degradation of Jak2 or Jak2-V617F by caspase cleavage and proteasomal degradation through GSK3β activation, which is closely involved in synergistic induction of apoptosis in hematopoietic cells.     

Activation of epidermal akt by diverse mouse skin tumor promoters

Akt is a serine/threonine kinase involved in a variety of cellular responses, including cell proliferation and cell survival. Recent studies from our laboratory suggest that Akt signaling may play an important role in skin tumor promotion. To explore this premise, we examined epidermal Akt activation and signaling in response to chemically diverse skin tumor promoters. Mice received single or multiple applications of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), okadaic acid, or chrysarobin. All three tumor promoters were able to activate epidermal Akt as early as 1 h after treatment. Activation of Akt following tumor promoter treatment led to enhanced downstream signaling, including hyperphosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta and Bad. Structure activity studies with phorbol ester analogues revealed that the magnitude of activation paralleled tumor-promoting activity. In cultured primary keratinocytes, TPA treatment also led to activation of Akt. Activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) seemed to underlie the ability of TPA to activate Akt as both PD153035, an inhibitor of EGFR, and GW2974, a dual-specific inhibitor of both EGFR and erbB2, were able to effectively reduce TPA-induced Akt phosphorylation as well as TPA-stimulated EGFR and erbB2 tyrosine phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) activity blocked TPA-stimulated heparin-binding EGF production and EGFR transactivation. Inhibition of PKC also led to a decreased association of Akt with the PP2A catalytic subunit, leading to increased Akt phosphorylation. However, combination of EGFR inhibitor and PKC inhibitor completely abrogated TPA-induced activation of Akt. Collectively, the current results support the hypothesis that elevated Akt activity and subsequent activation of downstream signaling pathways contribute significantly to skin tumor promotion. In addition, signaling through the EGFR via EGFR homodimers or EGFR/erbB2 heterodimers may be the primary event leading to Akt activation during tumor promotion in mouse skin.     

Blocking NF-κB and Akt by Hsp90 inhibition sensitizes Smac mimetic compound 3-induced extrinsic apoptosis pathway and results in synergistic cancer cell death

NF-κB and Akt are two main cell survival pathways that attenuate the anticancer efficacy of therapeutics. Our previous studies demonstrated that the Smac mimetic compound 3 (SMC3) specifically suppresses c-IAP1 and induces TNF-α autocrine to kill cancer cells. However, SMC3 also induces a cell survival signal through NF-κB activation. In this report, we further found that SMC3 potently activates Akt, which inhibits SMC3-induced cancer cell death. Strikingly, concurrent blocking NF-κB and Akt resulted in a significantly potentiated cytotoxicity. Because heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of both the NF-κB and Akt pathways in cancer cells, we examined if suppression of Hsp90 is able to potentiate SMC3-induced cancer cell death. The results show that targeting Hsp90 does not interfere with SMC3-induced c-IAP1 degradation and TNF-α autocrine, the key processes for SMC3-induced cancer cell apoptosis. However, Hsp90 inhibitors effectively blocked SMC3-induced NF-κB activation through degradation of RIP1 and IKKβ, two key components of the NF-κB activation pathway, and reduced both the constitutive and SMC3-induced Akt activity through degradation of the Akt protein. Consistently, with the co-treatment of SMC3 and Hsp90 inhibitors, apoptosis was markedly sensitized and a synergistic cytotoxicity was observed. The results suggest that concurrent targeting c-IAP1 and Hsp90 by combination of SMC3 and Hsp90 inhibitors is an effective approach for improving the anticancer value of SMC3.     

Quantitative analysis of CD5 antigen modulation by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate in T-lymphoblastic leukemia cells: individual response patterns and their relationships with both maturation and protein kinase C content.

Modulation of CD5 expression by TPA was investigated on T-leukemic cell lines corresponding to different stages of ontogeny. These CD5 changes have been analyzed simultaneously with modifications of cell growth, cell cycle, cell surface phenotype, and PKC content. CD5 expression was found 6- to 17-fold increased by TPA in a dose-dependent manner on phenotypically mature T-cells (Jurkat, JM, and T-CLL) while T-cells from earlier stages of differentiation (CEM III, CEM 95, and CEM 44) were found unresponsive. CD5 upregulation on TPA-sensitive JM cells appears correlated with inhibition of cell growth, blockage in G1 phase, and phenotypic maturation (downregulation of CD7 and CD1 antigens) and seemed to be related to PKC activation since DiC8 (a PKC activator) mimicked this TPA effect and H7 (a PKC inhibitor) partially reduced it. On the other hand, on CEM III cells TPA induced no modulation of CD5 antigen, a less dramatic effect on cell growth and cell cycle, but a CD7 downregulation. TPA appeared fully effective in binding and translocating PKC in both CEM III and JM cells, although the PKC activity level was three times higher in the latter. Finally, our study suggests that CD5 expression is at least partially under control of PKC in phenotypically mature neoplastic T-cells while PKC could not be directly involved in the regulation of CD5 antigen in leukemic cells arrested at earlier stages of differentiation.     

The effect of sphingosine and phorbol ester on the signal transduction enzymes and fibronectin release in cell culture.

In testing the hypothesis that the stimulation of the release of fibronectin (FN) by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) from human lung fibroblasts in culture is the result of activation of protein kinase C (PKC), we found that the PKC inhibitor sphingosine strongly inhibited FN release in presence and even in absence of TPA. However, a different PKC inhibitor, calphostin C, despite almost complete inhibition of PKC, had no effect on FN release. We concluded that sphingosine is a potent inhibitor of FN release from the cell surface, independent of its inhibition of PKC; and that TPA stimulates release of FN by a pathway other than activation of PKC. We found that the activation of PKC by TPA was accompanied by inhibition of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). When PKA was inhibited by an antagonist (H8, a cAMP analogue) at a concentration specific for PKA inhibition, the release of FN was stimulated similar to the stimulation with TPA. Activation of PKA with forskolin resulted in decreased FN release. In conclusion, we have shown that: (1) sphingosine had a robust effect inhibiting the release of FN from fibroblasts, independent of its action on PKC; (2) TPA treatment of these cells resulted in inhibition of PKA; (3) inhibition of PKA stimulated FN release whereas its activation decreased this release. It is possible that PKA, by phosphorylating a protein, may function, directly or indirectly, in keeping FN attached to the cell surface of fibroblasts.     

Geldanamycin induces mitotic catastrophe and subsequent apoptosis in human glioma cells

Geldanamycin (GA) binds to heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) and interferes with its function which is to protect various cellular proteins involved in signaling, growth control, and survival from ubiquitination and subsequent degradation by the proteasome. Recently, we demonstrated that GA inhibited migration of glioma cells in vitro associated with downregulation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1 alpha) and phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) (Zagzag et al., 2003, J Cell Physiol 196:394-402). Here, we have investigated the mechanisms through which GA treatment of the T98G glioma cell line induces apoptosis. We found that GA treatment induced cell death in a caspase-dependent manner through activation of caspase-3 and PARP cleavage together with release of cytochrome c and apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) from the mitochondria. Use of synchronized T98G cells showed that GA treatment of glioma cells during S-phase enhanced cytotoxicity followed by M-phase arrest, resulting in mitotic catastrophe. In addition, apoptosis was associated with the downregulation of the survival protein, phosphorylated Akt (pAkt), an important signaling protein in the PI3K pathway, that is overexpressed in many cancers including gliomas. Given that many glioma tumors show deregulation of the PI3K signaling pathway, either through loss of the tumor suppressor protein PTEN or overexpression of the growth factor EGFR, the ability to identify different subsets of patients using simple immunohistochemistry for the presence of absence of pAkt could enable selection of the appropriate kinase inhibitor, such as GA, for drug therapy. Based on our data presented here, GA or its analogs may have potential in the treatment of glioma.     

Protein kinase C delta is required for survival of cells expressing activated p21RAS

Inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) activity in transformed cells and tumor cells containing activated p21(RAS) results in apoptosis. To investigate the pro-apoptotic pathway induced by the p21(RAS) oncoprotein, we first identified the specific PKC isozyme necessary to prevent apoptosis in the presence of activated p21(RAS). Dominant-negative mutants of PKC, short interfering RNA vectors, and PKC isozyme-specific chemical inhibitors directed against the PKCdelta isozyme demonstrated that PKCdelta plays a critical role in p21(RAS)-mediated apoptosis. An activating p21(RAS) mutation, or activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) Ras effector pathway, increased the levels of PKCdelta protein and activity in cells, whereas inhibition of p21(RAS) activity decreased the expression of the PKCdelta protein. Activation of the Akt survival pathway by oncogenic Ras required PKCdelta activity. Akt activity was dramatically decreased after PKCdelta suppression in cells containing activated p21(RAS). Conversely, constitutively activated Akt rescued cells from apoptosis induced by PKCdelta inhibition. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that p21(RAS), through its downstream effector PI3K, induces PKCdelta expression and that this increase in PKCdelta activity, acting through Akt, is required for cell survival. The p21(RAS) effector molecule responsible for the initiation of the apoptotic signal after suppression of PKCdelta activity was also determined to be PI3K. PI3K (p110(C)(AAX), where AA is aliphatic amino acid) was sufficient for induction of apoptosis after PKCdelta inhibition. Thus, the same p21(RAS) effector, PI3K, is responsible for delivering both a pro-apoptotic signal and a survival signal, the latter being mediated by PKCdelta and Akt. Selective suppression of PKCdelta activity and consequent induction of apoptosis is a potential strategy for targeting of tumor cells containing an activated p21(RAS).     

Activation of PKC but not of ERK is required for vitamin E-succinate-induced apoptosis of HL-60 cells.

Vitamin E-succinate (VES) induced HL-60 human leukemia cells to undergo apoptosis. Treatment with VES induced membrane translocation of Fas; cleavages of caspase-3, PARP, and lamin B; hypophosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein; and increase of p21(WAF1) protein level. During the induction of apoptosis, activity of PKC was gradually increased with downregulation of VES-induced ERK activity and accompanied by activation of caspase-3. Inhibition of PKC by GF109203X blocked VES-mediated membrane translocation of PKC-alpha and cleavage of caspase-3 cascade, resulting in prevention of VES-induced apoptosis. On the contrary, PKC activation by cotreatment with LPC or thapsigargin and VES synergistically increased VES-mediated apoptosis. However, inhibition of ERK activity by PD98059 showed no significant effect on VES-induced PKC activity and apoptosis. Taken together, our data suggest that VES induces activation of PKC and PKC-dependent hypophosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein, which results in induction of apoptosis, and that VES-induced early activation of ERK and ERK-dependent induction of p21(WAF1) are not required for apoptosis.     

Deregulation of proteasome function induces Abl-mediated cell death by uncoupling p130CAS and c-CrkII

Cell migration and survival are coordinately regulated through activation of c-Abl (Abl) family tyrosine kinases. Activated Abl phosphorylates tyrosine 221 of c-CrkII (Crk; Crk-Y221-P), which prevents Crk from binding to the docking protein p130(CAS) (CAS). Disruption of CAS-Crk binding blocks downstream effectors of the actin cytoskeleton and focal adhesion assembly, inhibits cell migration, and disrupts survival signals leading to apoptosis. Here we show that inhibition of the 26 S proteasome and ubiquitination facilitates Abl-mediated Crk-Y221-P, leading to disassembly of CAS-Crk complexes in cells. Surprisingly, inhibition of these molecular interactions does not perturb cell migration but rather specifically induces apoptosis. Furthermore, we demonstrate that attachment to an extracellular matrix plays a key role in regulating the apoptotic machinery through caspase-mediated cleavage of Abl and Crk-Y221-P. Our findings indicate that regulated protein degradation by the proteasome specifically controls cell death through regulation of Abl-mediated Crk Tyr221 phosphorylation and assembly of the CAS-Crk signaling scaffold.     

Proteasomal regulation of caspase-8 in cancer cell apoptosis

Previous studies demonstrated that proteasome inhibition sensitizes TRAIL resistant prostate cancer cells to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis via stabilization of the active p18 subunit of caspase-8. The present study investigated the impact of proteasome inhibition on caspase-8 stability, ubiquitination, trafficking, and activation in cancer cells. Using caspase-8 deficient neuroblastoma (NB7) cells for reconstituting non-cleavable mutant forms of caspase-8, we demonstrated that the non-cleavable forms of caspase-8 are capable of inducing apoptosis comparably to wild-type caspase-8, in response to proteasome inhibitor and GST-TRAIL. Moreover in the LNCaP human prostate cancer cells, caspase-8 polyubiquitination occurs after TRAIL stimulation and caspase-8 processing. Subcellular fractionation analysis revealed caspase-8 activity in both cytosol and plasma membrane fractions in both NB7 reconstituted caspase-8 cell lines, as well the LNCaP prostate cancer cells. The present results suggest that caspase-8 stabilization through proteasome inhibition leads to reactivation of the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis and identify E3 ligase mediating caspase-8 polyubiquitination, as a novel molecular target. Inhibition of this E3 ligase in combination with TRAIL towards restoring apoptosis signaling activation may have potential therapeutic significance in resistant tumors.