Tumor necrosis factor alpha induces spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase through nuclear factor kappaB in non-small cell lung cancer cells

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) is a potent pleiotropic cytokine produced by many cells in response to inflammatory stress. The molecular mechanisms responsible for the multiple biological activities of TNFalpha are due to its ability to activate multiple signal transduction pathways, including nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB), which plays critical roles in cell proliferation and survival. TNFalpha displays both apoptotic and antiapoptotic properties, depending on the nature of the stimulus and the activation status of certain signaling pathways. Here we show that TNFalpha can lead to the induction of NFkappaB signaling with a concomitant increase in spermidine/spermine N(1)-acetyltransferase (SSAT) expression in A549 and H157 non-small cell lung cancer cells. Induction of SSAT, a stress-inducible gene that encodes a rate-limiting polyamine catabolic enzyme, leads to lower intracellular polyamine contents and has been associated with decreased cell growth and increased apoptosis. Stable overexpression of a mutant, dominant negative IkappaBalpha protein led to the suppression of SSAT induction by TNFalpha in these cells, thereby substantiating a role of NFkappaB in the induction of SSAT by TNFalpha. SSAT promoter deletion constructs led to the identification of three potential NFkappaB response elements in the SSAT gene. Electromobility shift assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments and mutational studies confirmed that two of the three NFkappaB response elements play an important role in the regulation of SSAT in response to TNFalpha. The results of these studies indicate that a common mediator of inflammation can lead to the induction of SSAT expression by activating the NFkappaB signaling pathway in non-small cell lung cancer cells.     

衣原体调控宿主细胞凋亡的机制研究进展

衣原体是一类专性细胞内寄生的原核微生物,常引起性传播疾病、失明和肺炎等疾病。衣原体可能已经进化出调控宿主细胞的若干机制,通过改变宿主细胞蛋白位置,干扰宿主细胞凋亡信号通路等来抑制细胞凋亡,维持其自身的存活,核转录因子NF-κB也涉及到衣原体感染细胞凋亡抑制;衣原体可以经半胱氨酸蛋白酶依赖途径等机制诱导细胞凋亡,进而感染邻近细胞。