Cytosolic pro-apoptotic SPIKE induces mitochondrial apoptosis in cancer

Proteins of the BCL-2 family are important regulators of apoptosis. The BCL-2 family includes three main subgroups: the anti-apoptotic group, such as BCL-2, BCL-XL, BCL-W, and MCL-1; multi-domain pro-apoptotic BAX, BAK; and pro-apoptotic “BH3-only” BIK, PUMA, NOXA, BID, BAD, and SPIKE. SPIKE, a rare pro-apoptotic protein, is highly conserved throughout the evolution, including Caenorhabditis elegans, whose expression is downregulated in certain tumors, including kidney, lung, and breast.In the literature, SPIKE was proposed to interact with BAP31 and prevent BCL-XL from binding to BAP31. Here, we utilized the Position Weight Matrix method to identify SPIKE to be a BH3-only pro-apoptotic protein mainly localized in the cytosol of all cancer cell lines tested. Overexpression of SPIKE weakly induced apoptosis in comparison to the known BH3-only pro-apoptotic protein BIK. SPIKE promoted mitochondrial cytochrome c release, the activation of caspase 3, and the caspase cleavage of caspase’s downstream substrates BAP31 and p130CAS. Although the informatics analysis of SPIKE implicates this protein as a member of the BH3-only BCL-2 subfamily, its role in apoptosis remains to be elucidated.     

Co-Crystallization with Conformation-Specific Designed Ankyrin Repeat Proteins Explains the Conformational Flexibility of BCL-W

BCL-W is a member of the BCL-2 family of anti-apoptotic proteins. A key event in the regulation of apoptosis is the heterodimerization between anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic family members, which involves a conserved surface-exposed groove on the anti-apoptotic proteins. Crystal structures of the ligand binding-competent conformation exist for all anti-apoptotic family members, with the exception of BCL-W, due to the flexibility of the BCL-W groove region. Existing structures had suggested major deviations of the BCL-W groove region from the otherwise structurally highly related remaining anti-apoptotic family members. To capture its ligand binding-competent conformation by counteracting the conformational flexibility of the BCL-W groove, we had selected high-affinity groove-binding designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPins) using ribosome display. We now determined two high-resolution crystal structures of human BCL-W in complex with different DARPins at resolutions 1.5 and 1.85 Å, in which the structure of BCL-W is virtually identical, and BCL-W adopts a conformation extremely similar to the ligand-free conformation of its closest relative BCL-XL in both structures. However, distinct differences to all previous BCL-W structures are evident, notably in the ligand-binding region. We provide the first structural explanation for the conformational flexibility of the BCL-W groove region in comparison to other BCL-2 family members. Due to the importance of the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family as drug targets, the presented crystal structure of ligand binding-competent BCL-W may serve as a valuable basis for structure-based drug design in the future and provides a missing piece for the structural characterization of this protein family.     

Mitochondrial Profiling of Acute Myeloid Leukemia in the Assessment of Response to Apoptosis Modulating Drugs

BH3 profiling measures the propensity of transformed cells to undergo intrinsic apoptosis and is determined by exposing cells to BH3-mimicking peptides. We hypothesized that basal levels of prosurvival BCL-2 family proteins may modulate the predictive power of BH3 profiling and termed it mitochondrial profiling. We investigated the correlation between cell sensitivity to apoptogenic agents and mitochondrial profiling, using a panel of acute myeloid leukemias induced to undergo apoptosis by exposure to cytarabine, the BH3 mimetic ABT-199, the MDM2 inhibitor Nutlin-3a, or the CRM1 inhibitor KPT-330. We found that the apoptogenic efficacies of ABT-199 and cytarabine correlated well with BH3 profiling reflecting BCL2, but not BCL-XL or MCL-1 dependence. Baseline BCL-2 protein expression analysis increased the ability of BH3 profiling to predict resistance mediated by MCL-1. By utilizing engineered cells with overexpression or knockdown of BCL-2 family proteins, Ara-C was found to be independent, while ABT-199 was dependent on BCL-XL. BCL-2 and BCL-XL overexpression mediated resistance to KPT-330 which was not reflected in the BH3 profiling assay, or in baseline BCL-2 protein levels. In conclusion, mitochondrial profiling, the combination of BH3 profiling and prosurvival BCL-2 family protein analysis, represents an improved approach to predict efficacy of diverse agents in AML and may have utility in the design of more effective drug combinations.     

Examining BCL-2 Family Function with Large Unilamellar Vesicles

The BCL-2 (B cell CLL/Lymphoma) family is comprised of approximately twenty proteins that collaborate to either maintain cell survival or initiate apoptosis¹. Following cellular stress (e.g., DNA damage), the pro-apoptotic BCL-2 family effectors BAK (BCL-2 antagonistic killer 1) and/or BAX (BCL-2 associated X protein) become activated and compromise the integrity of the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM), though the process referred to as mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP)¹. After MOMP occurs, pro-apoptotic proteins (e.g., cytochrome c) gain access to the cytoplasm, promote caspase activation, and apoptosis rapidly ensues².In order for BAK/BAX to induce MOMP, they require transient interactions with members of another pro-apoptotic subset of the BCL-2 family, the BCL-2 homology domain 3 (BH3)-only proteins, such as BID (BH3-interacting domain agonist)^3-6. Anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family proteins (e.g., BCL-2 related gene, long isoform, BCL-xL; myeloid cell leukemia 1, MCL-1) regulate cellular survival by tightly controlling the interactions between BAK/BAX and the BH3-only proteins capable of directly inducing BAK/BAX activation^7,8. In addition, anti-apoptotic BCL-2 protein availability is also dictated by sensitizer/de-repressor BH3-only proteins, such as BAD (BCL-2 antagonist of cell death) or PUMA (p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis), which bind and inhibit anti-apoptotic members^7,9. As most of the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 repertoire is localized to the OMM, the cellular decision to maintain survival or induce MOMP is dictated by multiple BCL-2 family interactions at this membrane. Large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) are a biochemical model to explore relationships between BCL-2 family interactions and membrane permeabilization¹⁰. LUVs are comprised of defined lipids that are assembled in ratios identified in lipid composition studies from solvent extracted Xenopus mitochondria (46.5% phosphatidylcholine, 28.5% phosphatidylethanoloamine, 9% phosphatidylinositol, 9% phosphatidylserine, and 7% cardiolipin)¹⁰. This is a convenient model system to directly explore BCL-2 family function because the protein and lipid components are completely defined and tractable, which is not always the case with primary mitochondria. While cardiolipin is not usually this high throughout the OMM, this model does faithfully mimic the OMM to promote BCL-2 family function. Furthermore, a more recent modification of the above protocol allows for kinetic analyses of protein interactions and real-time measurements of membrane permeabilization, which is based on LUVs containing a polyanionic dye (ANTS: 8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid) and cationic quencher (DPX: p-xylene-bis-pyridinium bromide)¹¹. As the LUVs permeabilize, ANTS and DPX diffuse apart, and a gain in fluorescence is detected. Here, commonly used recombinant BCL-2 family protein combinations and controls using the LUVs containing ANTS/DPX are described.     

Expression of 11 members of the BCL-2 family of apoptosis regulatory molecules during human preimplantation embryo development and fragmentation

Apoptosis during preimplantation development has received much interest because of its potential role in eliminating defective cells. Although development in humans is characterised by a high degree of genetic abnormality, little is known of the regulation of apoptosis in embryos. By PolyA PCR we analysed expression of 11 BCL-2 genes in individual human embryos representative of normal development and in severely fragmented embryos. We demonstrate constitutive expression of BAX in virtually all embryos at all stages of development, and variable expression of BCL2, BCL-XL, BCL-W, MCL-1 BAK, BAD, BOKL, BID, BIK, and BCL-XS. The frequency of expression of pro- and anti-apoptotic BCL-2 members was similar throughout development, except at the two-cell stage where pro-apoptotic genes predominated. Protein expression was confirmed for BCL-2, MCL-1, BCL-X, BAX, BAD, and activated caspase 3. BCL-2 protein was associated with mitochondria but expressed inconsistently in the blastocyst inner cell mass. Consistent differences between morphologically intact and fragmented embryos included the expression of BAK in fragmented but not intact four-cell embryos. Our study addresses the importance of examining single human embryos representative of the viable population for a large number of genes, in order to establish meaningful expression profiles and provide information on overlapping function in a large gene family.     

Bak BH3 peptides antagonize Bcl-xL function and induce apoptosis through cytochrome c-independent activation of caspases

The Bcl-2 homology 3 (BH3) domain is crucial for the death-inducing and dimerization properties of pro-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 protein family, including Bak, Bax, and Bad. Here we report that synthetic peptides corresponding to the BH3 domain of Bak bind to Bcl-xL, antagonize its anti-apoptotic function, and rapidly induce apoptosis when delivered into intact cells via fusion to the Antennapedia homeoprotein internalization domain. Treatment of HeLa cells with the Antennapedia-BH3 fusion peptide resulted in peptide internalization and induction of apoptosis within 2-3 h, as indicated by caspase activation and subsequent poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, as well as morphological characteristics of apoptosis. A point mutation within the BH3 peptide that blocks its ability to bind to Bcl-xL abolished its apoptotic activity, suggesting that interaction of the BH3 peptide with Bcl-2-related death suppressors, such as Bcl-xL, may be critical for its activity in cells. While overexpression of Bcl-xL can block BH3-induced apoptosis, treatment with BH3 peptides resensitized Bcl-xL-expressing cells to Fas-mediated apoptosis. BH3-induced apoptosis was blocked by caspase inhibitors, demonstrating a dependence on caspase activation, but was not accompanied by a dramatic early loss of mitochondrial membrane potential or detectable translocation of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol. These findings demonstrate that the BH3 domain itself is capable of inducing apoptosis in whole cells, possibly by antagonizing the function of Bcl-2-related death suppressors.     

Regulation of apoptosis by BH3 domains in a cell-free system

Background: The Bcl-2 family of proteins plays a key role in the regulation of apoptosis. Some family members prevent apoptosis induced by a variety of stimuli, whereas others promote apoptosis. Competitive dimerisation between family members is thought to regulate their function. Homologous domains within individual proteins are necessary for interactions with other family members and for activity, although the specific mechanisms might differ between the pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic proteins.Results: Using a cell-free system based on extracts of Xenopus eggs, we have investigated the role of the Bcl-2 homology domain 3 (BH3) from different members of the Bcl-2 family. BH3 domains from the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bak, but not the BH3 domain of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, induced apoptosis in this system, as determined by the rapid activation of specific apoptotic proteases (caspases) and by DNA fragmentation. The apoptosis-inducing activity of the BH3 domains requires both membrane and cytosolic fractions of cytoplasm, involves the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and is antagonistic to Bcl-2 function. Short peptides, corresponding to the minimal sequence of BH3 domains required to bind anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins, also trigger apoptosis in this system.Conclusions: The BH3 domains of pro-apoptotic proteins are sufficient to trigger cytochrome c release, caspase activation and apoptosis. These results support a model in which pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax and Bak, bind to Bcl-2 via their BH3 domains, inactivating the normal ability of Bcl-2 to suppress apoptosis. The ability of synthetic peptides to reproduce the effect of pro-apoptotic BH3 domains suggests that such peptides may provide the basis for engineering reagents to control the initiation of apoptosis.     

Molecular docking studies of anti-apoptotic BCL-2, BCL-XL, and MCL-1 proteins with ginsenosides from Panax ginseng

Anti-apoptotic proteins such as BCL-2, BCL-XL and MCL-1 bind with pro-apoptotic proteins to induce apoptosis mechanism. BCL-2 family proteins are key regulators of apoptosis process. Over expression of these anti-apoptotic proteins lead to several cancers by preventing apoptosis. A number of studies revealed that ginseng derivatives reduce tumor growth. Ginseng, the most valuable medicinal herb found in eastern Asia belongs to Araliaceae family. In this study, docking simulations were performed for anti-apoptotic proteins with several ginsenosides from Panax ginseng. Our finding shows ginsenosides Rf, Rg1, Rg3 and Rh2 have more binding affinity with BCL-2, BCL-XL and MCL-1 and other ginsenosides also interact with each anti-apoptotic proteins. Therefore, ginseng derivatives represent a novel class of potent inhibitors and could be used for cancer chemotherapy.     

BCL-2 and BCL-XL restrict lineage choice during hematopoietic differentiation

Differentiation of hematopoietic cells from multipotential progenitors is regulated by multiple growth factors and cytokines. A prominent feature of these soluble factors is promotion of cell survival, in part mediated by expression of either of the anti-apoptotic proteins, BCL-2 and BCL-XL. The complex expression pattern of these frequently redundant survival factors during hematopoiesis may indicate a role in lineage determination. To investigate the latter possibility, we analyzed factor-dependent cell-Patersen (FDCP)-Mix multipotent progenitor cells in which we stably expressed BCL-2 or BCL-XL. Each factor maintained complete survival of interleukin-3 (IL-3)-deprived FDCP-Mix cells but, unexpectedly, directed FDCP-Mix cells along restricted and divergent differentiation pathways. Thus, IL-3-deprived FDCP-Mix BCL-2 cells differentiated exclusively to granulocytes and monocytes/macrophages, whereas FDCP-Mix BCL-XL cells became erythroid. FDCP-Mix BCL-2 cells grown in IL-3 were distinguished from FDCP-Mix and FDCP-Mix BCL-XL cells by a striking reduction in cellular levels of Raf-1 protein. Replacement of the BCL-2 BH4 domain with the related BCL-XL BH4 sequence resulted in a switch of FDCP-Mix BCL-2 cells to erythroid fate accompanied by persistence of Raf-1 protein expression. Moreover, enforced expression of Raf-1 redirected FDCP-Mix BCL-2 cells to an erythroid fate, and prohibited generation of myeloid cells. These results identify novel roles for BCL-2 and BCL-XL in cell fate decisions beyond cell survival. These effects are associated with differential regulation of Raf-1 expression, perhaps involving the previously identified interaction between BCL-2-BH4 and the catalytic domain of Raf-1.     

The BCL-2 protein family,BH3-mimetics and cancer therapy

Escape from apoptosis is a key attribute of tumour cells and facilitates chemo-resistance. The ‘BCL-2-regulated'' or ‘intrinsic'' apoptotic pathway integrates stress and survival signalling to govern whether a cancer cell will live or die. Indeed, many pro-apoptotic members of the BCL-2 family have demonstrated tumour-suppression activity in mouse models of cancer and are lost or repressed in certain human cancers. Conversely, overexpression of pro-survival BCL-2 family members promotes tumorigenesis in humans and in mouse models. Many of the drugs currently used in the clinic mediate their therapeutic effects (at least in part) through the activation of the BCL-2-regulated apoptotic pathway. However, initiators of this apoptotic pathway, such as p53, are mutated, lost or silenced in many human cancers rendering them refractory to treatment. To counter such resistance mechanisms, a novel class of therapeutics, ‘BH3-mimetics'', has been developed. These drugs directly activate apoptosis by binding and inhibiting select antiapoptotic BCL-2 family members and thereby bypass the requirement for upstream initiators, such as p53. In this review, we discuss the role of the BCL-2 protein family in the development and treatment of cancer, with an emphasis on mechanistic studies using well-established mouse models of cancer, before describing the development and already recognised potential of the BH3-mimetic compounds.     

Requirement of Apaf-1 for mitochondrial events and the cleavage or activation of all procaspases during genotoxic stress-induced apoptosis

Sequential activation of caspases is critical for the execution of apoptosis. Recent evidence suggests caspase 2 is a significant upstream caspase capable of initiating mitochondrial events, such as the release of cytochrome c. In particular, in vitro studies using recombinant proteins have shown that cleaved caspase 2 can induce mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization directly or by cleaving the BH3-only protein BID (BH3 interacting domain death agonist). However, whether interchain cleavage or activation of procaspase 2 occurs prior to Apaf-1-mediated procaspase 9 activation under more natural conditions remains unresolved. In the present study, we show that Apaf-1-deficient Jurkat T-lymphocytes and mouse embryonic fibroblasts were highly resistant to DNA-damage-induced apoptosis and failed to cleave or activate any apoptotic procaspase, including caspase 2. Significantly, drug-induced cytochrome c release and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential were inhibited in cells lacking Apaf-1. By comparison, procaspase proteolysis and apoptosis were only delayed slightly in Apaf-1-deficient Jurkat cells upon treatment with anti-Fas antibody. Our data support a model in which Apaf-1 is necessary for the cleavage or activation of all procaspases and the promotion of mitochondrial apoptotic events induced by genotoxic drugs.     

Phosphorylation of the pro-apoptotic protein BIK: mapping of phosphorylation sites and effect on apoptosis

BIK is a pro-apoptotic BCL-2 family member and is the founding member of a subfamily of pro-apoptotic proteins known as "BH3-alone" proteins. Ectopic expression of BIK induces apoptosis in variety of mammalian cells. BIK complexes with various anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family proteins such as adenovirus E1B-19K and BCL-2 via the BH3 domain. However, the heterodimerization activity of BIK alone is insufficient for its apoptotic activity. Previous studies have shown that phosphorylation regulates the functional activity of both anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic members of the BCL-2 family. Here, we have examined phosphorylation of BIK and its effect on the apoptotic activity of BIK. We show that BIK exists as a phosphoprotein and is phosphorylated at residues 33 (threonine) and 35 (serine). Mutation of the phosphorylation sites, in which the Thr and Ser residues were changed to alanine residues, reduced the apoptotic activity of BIK without significantly affecting its ability to heterodimerize with BCL-2. Our results suggest that phosphorylation of BIK is required for eliciting efficient apoptotic activity. Partial purification of the protein kinase from HeLa cell cytoplasmic extracts suggest that BIK may be phosphorylated by a casein kinase II-related enzyme.     

Full Length Bid is sufficient to induce apoptosis of cultured rat hippocampal neurons

Background  

Bcl-2 homology domain (BH) 3-only proteins are pro-apoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family that couple stress signals to the mitochondrial cell death pathways. The BH3-only protein Bid can be activated in response to death receptor activation via caspase 8-mediated cleavage into a truncated protein (tBid), which subsequently translocates to mitochondria and induces the release of cytochrome-C. Using a single-cell imaging approach of Bid cleavage and translocation during apoptosis, we have recently demonstrated that, in contrast to death receptor-induced apoptosis, caspase-independent excitotoxic apoptosis involves a translocation of full length Bid (FL-Bid) from the cytosol to mitochondria. We induced a delayed excitotoxic cell death in cultured rat hippocampal neurons by a 5-min exposure to the glutamate receptor agonist N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA; 300 μM).     

Interaction of Leukocyte Elastase Inhibitor/L-DNase II with BCL-2 and BAX

Leukocyte Elastase Inhibitor (LEI, also called serpin B1) is a protein involved in apoptosis among other physiological processes. We have previously shown that upon cleavage by its cognate protease, LEI is transformed into L-DNase II, a protein with a pro-apoptotic activity. The caspase independent apoptotic pathway, in which L-DNase II is the final effector, interacts with other pro-apoptotic molecules like Poly-ADP-Ribose polymerase (PARP) or Apoptosis Inducing Factor (AIF). The screening of LEI/L-DNase II interactions showed a possible interaction with several members of the BCL-2 family of proteins which are known to have a central role in the regulation of caspase dependent cell death. In this study, we investigated the regulation of LEI/L-DNase II pathway by two members of this family of proteins: BAX and BCL-2, which have opposite effects on cell survival. We show that, in both BHK and HeLa cells, LEI/L-DNase II can interact with BCL-2 and BAX in apoptotic and non-apoptotic conditions. These proteins which are usually thought to be anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic respectively, both inhibit the L-DNase II pro-apoptotic activity. These results give further insight in the regulation of caspase independent pathways and highlight the involvement of the intracellular environment of a given protein in the determinism of its function. They also add a link between caspase-dependent and independent pathways of apoptosis.     

Deficiency of pro-apoptotic Hrk attenuates programmed cell death in the developing murine nervous system but does not affect Bcl-x deficiency-induced neuron apoptosis

The BCL-2 family includes both pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins, which regulate programmed cell death during development and in response to various apoptotic stimuli. The BH3-only subgroup of pro-apoptotic BCL-2 family members is critical for the induction of apoptotic signaling, by binding to and neutralizing anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family members. During embryonic development, the anti-apoptotic protein BCL-X(L) plays a critical role in the survival of neuronal populations by regulating the multi-BH domain protein BAX. In this study, the authors investigated the role of Harakiri (HRK), a relatively recently characterized BH3-only molecule in disrupting the BAX-BCL-X(L) interaction during nervous system development. Results indicate that HRK deficiency significantly reduces programmed cell death in the nervous system. However, HRK deficiency does not significantly attenuate the widespread apoptosis seen in the Bcl-x (-/-) embryonic nervous system, indicating that other BH3-only molecules, alone or in combination, may regulate BAX activation in immature neurons.     

Prognostic impact of the expression/phosphorylation of the BH3-only proteins of the BCL-2 family in glioblastoma multiforme

Apoptosis has a crucial role in anti-cancer treatment. The proteins of the BCL-2 family are core members of the apoptotic program. Thus, we postulated that alterations in the expression of BCL-2 protein family, and in particular in that of the Bcl-2 homology domain 3 (BH3)-only proteins (which can neutralized anti-apoptotic proteins or activate pro-apoptotic proteins) could account for differences in the overall survival (OS) of patients. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the expression of 15 members of the BCL-2 protein family (Bax, Bak, Bok, Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, Bcl-w, Mcl-1, Bad, Bid, Bim, Bik, Bmf, Hrk, Noxa and Puma) in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumors, the most frequent brain tumor in adults. We found that none of the individual expression of these proteins is associated with a significant variation in OS of the patients. However, when all BH3 proteins were pooled to determine a BH3^score, this score was significantly correlated with OS of GBM patients. We also noted that patients with a have high level of phospho-Bad and phospho-Bim displayed a lower OS. Thus, BH3 scoring/profiling could be used as an independent prognostic factor in GBM when globally analyzed.     

The Siva-1 putative amphipathic helical region (SAH) is sufficient to bind to BCL-XL and sensitize cells to UV radiation induced apoptosis

The human Siva gene is localized to chromosome 14q32-33 and gives rise to the full-length predominant form, Siva-1 and a minor alternate form, Siva-2 that appears to lack the proapoptotic properties of Siva-1. Our recent work has shown that the missing region in Siva-2 encodes a unique twenty amino acid putative amphipathic helical region (SAH, residues 36-55 in Siva-1). Despite the fact that Siva-1 does not belong to the BCL-2 family, it specifically interacts with the anti-apoptotic protein BCL-XL and sensitizes MCF7 breast cancer cells expressing BCL-XL to UV radiation induced apoptosis. Deletion mutagenesis has mapped the necessary region to the SAH in Siva-1. In this paper we demonstrate that the SAH region in Siva-1 is sufficient to specifically interact with the anti-apoptotic members of the BCL2 family such as BCL-XL and BCL-2 but not its apoptotic member BAX. Using transient transfections and direct microinjection of synthetic SAH peptides, we also demonstrate that the SAH region is sufficient to inhibit the BCL-XL mediated cell survival and render MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 breast cancer cells expressing BCL-XL highly susceptible to UV radiation induced apoptosis. The underlying mechanism of action of SAH mediated inhibition of BCL-XL (and/or BCL2) cell survival appears to be due to loss of mitochondrial integrity as reflected in enhanced cytochrome c release leading to the activation of caspase 9 and finally caspase 3.     

The interaction between tBid and cardiolipin or monolysocardiolipin

Bid, a BH3-only pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family, is cleaved by caspase 8 in apoptosis induced by death domain receptors. The carboxyl terminus of the cleavage product, tBid, remains associated with the amino terminal fragment (nBid) after cleavage. Dissociation of tBid from nBid occurs during targeting of tBid to mitochondria. We use an in vitro system and demonstrate that cardiolipin is sufficient for the dissociation. Monolysocardiolipin, a metabolite of cardiolipin that increases in mitochondria during apoptosis, has the same affinity to tBid as cardiolipin and is also capable of inducing dissociation of tBid from nBid. In contrast, phosphatidylethanolamine could not induce dissociation of tBid from nBid. To determine the site of tBid that interacts with cardiolipin, we performed mutational analysis by eliminating the positive-charged residues in helices 4-6. None of the single mutations can abolish the ability of tBid to target to mitochondria and to induce cytochrome c release, suggesting that positive-charged residues in helices 4-6 may not be required for mitochondrial targeting of tBid.     

NH2-terminal BH4 domain of Bcl-2 is functional for heterodimerization with Bax and inhibition of apoptosis.

The Bcl-2 family proteins comprise pro-apoptotic as well as anti-apoptotic members. Heterodimerization between members of the Bcl-2 family proteins is a key event in the regulation of apoptosis. We report here that Bcl-2 protein was selectively cleaved by active caspase-3-like proteases in CTLL-2 cell apoptosis in response to interleukin-2 deprivation. Structural and functional analyses of the cleaved fragment revealed that the NH2-terminal region of Bcl-2 (1-34 amid acids) was required for its anti-apoptotic activity and heterodimerization with pro-apoptotic Bax protein. Site-directed mutagenesis of the NH2-terminal region showed that substitutions of hydrophobic residues of BH4 domain resulted in the loss of ability to form a heterodimer with Bax. Particularly instructive was that the V15E mutant of Bcl-2, which completely lost the ability to form a heterodimer with Bax, failed to inhibit Bax- and staurosporine-induced apoptosis. Our results suggest that the BH4 domain of Bcl-2 is critical for its heterodimerization with Bax and for exhibiting anti-apoptotic activity. Therefore, agents interferring with the critical residues of the BH4 domain may provide a new strategy in cancer therapy by impairing Bcl-2 function.