Acid sphingomyelinase is indispensable for UV light-induced Bax conformational change at the mitochondrial membrane

Ultraviolet light-induced apoptosis can be caused by DNA damage but also involves immediate-early cell death cascades characteristic of death receptor signaling. Here we show that the UV light-induced apoptotic signaling pathway is unique, targeting Bax activation at the mitochondrial membrane independent of caspase-8 or cathepsin D activity. Cells deficient in acid sphingomyelinase (ASMase) do not show UV light-induced Bax activation, cytochrome c release, or apoptosis. In ASMase-deficient cells, the apoptotic UV light response is restored by stable or transient expression of human ASMase. Bax conformational change in ASMase(-/-) cells is also caused by synthetic C(16)-ceramide acting on intact cells or isolated mitochondria. The results suggest that UV light-triggered ASMase activation is essentially required for Bax conformational change leading to mitochondrial release of pro-apoptotic factors like cytochrome c and Smac.     

RNF8-dependent and RNF8-independent regulation of 53BP1 in response to DNA damage

The DNA damage surveillance network orchestrates cellular responses to DNA damage through the recruitment of DNA damage-signaling molecules to DNA damage sites and the concomitant activation of protein phosphorylation cascades controlled by the ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated) and ATR (ATM-Rad3-related) kinases. Activation of ATM/ATR triggers cell cycle checkpoint activation and adaptive responses to DNA damage. Recent studies suggest that protein ubiquitylation or degradation plays an important role in the DNA damage response. In this study, we examined the potential role of the proteasome in checkpoint activation and ATM/ATR signaling in response to UV light-induced DNA damage. HeLa cells treated with the proteasome inhibitor MG-132 showed delayed phosphorylation of ATM substrates in response to UV light. UV light-induced phosphorylation of 53BP1, as well as its recruitment to DNA damage foci, was strongly suppressed by proteasome inhibition, whereas the recruitment of upstream regulators of 53BP1, including MDC1 and H2AX, was unaffected. The ubiquitin-protein isopeptide ligase RNF8 was critical for 53BP1 focus targeting and phosphorylation in ionizing radiation-damaged cells, whereas UV light-induced 53BP1 phosphorylation and targeting exhibited partial dependence on RNF8 and the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme UBC13. Suppression of RNF8 or UBC13 also led to subtle defects in UV light-induced G2/M checkpoint activation. These findings are consistent with a model in which RNF8 ubiquitylation pathways are essential for 53BP1 regulation in response to ionizing radiation, whereas RNF8-independent pathways contribute to 53BP1 targeting and phosphorylation in response to UV light and potentially other forms of DNA replication stress.     

UVA radiation stimulates ceramide production: relationship to oxidative stress and potential role in ERK, JNK, and p38 activation

Exposure of human keratinocytes to UVA radiation induced an increase in ceramide (CER) intracellular content, with a dose-dependent effect within the range of 4-9 J/cm(2). The production of CER reached a maximum 2 h after UVA irradiation. The increase of CER was proportional to the intracellular content of reactive oxygen species, was prevented by the antioxidant vitamin E, and enhanced by the prooxidant buthionine-sulfoximine, suggesting the involvement of an oxidative stress. UVA decreased both neutral and acid sphingomyelinase activities measured in vitro. A direct cleavage of sphingomyelin to CER by UVA, recently described, was not observed under our experimental conditions. We also show that, downstream of CER, UVA activated the Ser/Thr kinases ERK, JNK, and p38. Since ceramide has been shown to play a role in stress kinase activation, our results provide a possible mechanism for UVA-induced activation of stress kinases via ceramide formation. However, the actual mechanisms whereby CER is produced in cultured cells under UVA exposure remain to be specified.     

Ultraviolet light activates NFkappaB through translational inhibition of IkappaBalpha synthesis

UV light induces a delayed and prolonged (3-20 h) activation of NFkappaB when compared with the immediate and acute (10-90 min) activation of NFkappaB in response to tumor necrosis factor alpha treatment. In the early phase (3-12 h) of NFkappaB activation, UV light reduces inhibitor of NFkappaB (IkappaB) through an IkappaB kinase-independent, but polyubiquitin-dependent, pathway. However, the mechanism for the UV light-induced reduction of IkappaB and activation of NFkappaB is not known. In this report, we show that UV light down-regulates the total amount of IkappaB through decreasing IkappaB mRNA translation. Our data show that UV light inhibits translation of IkappaB in wild-type mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEF(S/S)) and that this inhibition is prevented in MEF(A/A) cells in which the phosphorylation site, Ser-51 in the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha-subunit, is replaced with a non-phosphorylatable Ala (S51A). Our data also show that UV light-induced NFkappaB activation is delayed in MEF(A/A) cells and in an MCF-7 cell line that is stably transfected with a trans-dominant negative mutant protein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK). These results suggest that UV light-induced eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha-subunit phosphorylation translationally inhibits new IkappaB synthesis. Without a continuous supply of newly synthesized IkappaB, the existing IkappaB is degraded through a polyubiquitin-dependent proteasomal pathway leading to NFkappaB activation. Based upon our results, we propose a novel mechanism by which UV light regulates early phase NFkappaB activation by means of an ER-stress-induced translational inhibition pathway.     

UV-B light induces an adaptive response to UV-C exposure via photoreactivation activity in Euglena gracilis.

Phytoplankton such as Euglena are constantly exposed to solar light which is used for photosynthesis. Although the solar ultraviolet (UV) induces DNA damage such as cyclobutane-pyrimidine dimers (CPDs), many kinds of living organisms can repair CPDs by photoreactivation (PR) utilizing the near-UV/blue light component in sunlight. Euglena cells are known to possess such PR activity. In the present paper, the formation of CPDs induced by UV-C exposure and the photoreactivation PR repair of these CPDs by UV-A are demonstrated. To clarify the adaptive responses prior UV-B irradiation on PR activity, cells were cultured in the dark or under UV-B light. When the cells were cultured in the dark for 3 d prior to UV-C exposure, PR activity decreased. When the cells were cultured under UV-B light, however, PR activity increased. These results suggest that exposing the cells to UV-B prior to exposure to UV-C induced an adaptive response towards DNA damage caused by UV-C exposure, and this UV-C induced damage was repaired through PR activity.     

Ultraviolet light-induced stimulation of the JNK mitogen-activated protein kinase in the absence of src family tyrosine kinase activation

In T cells, the JNK mitogen-activated protein kinase is activated by simultaneous stimulation of the T-cell receptor and CD28 or by a number of stress stimuli including ultraviolet light, hydrogen peroxide, and anisomycin. Lck, a Src family kinase, is essential for T-cell receptor-mediated activation of JNK. We asked whether Lck was also involved in stress-mediated activation of JNK. JNK was activated by ultraviolet light irradiation in all of the four T-cell lines we examined, but Lck was not. Additionally, JNK activation by ultraviolet light, hydrogen peroxide, and anisomycin was completely normal in T cells lacking Lck. These data suggest that Lck is not activated by ultraviolet light irradiation, nor is it required for JNK activation in T cells by any of the stress stimuli we tested. We also examined JNK activation by ultraviolet light in mouse fibroblasts expressing no known Src kinases. The activation of JNK by ultraviolet light was completely normal in these cells. Finally, treatment of lymphoid and epithelial cells with a Src kinase family inhibitor PP2-reduced tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular proteins markedly without affecting ultraviolet light-induced activation of JNK. These results suggest that Src kinases are not essential for ultraviolet light-induced activation of JNK in a diverse variety of cell types.     

Human glutamylcysteine synthetase protects HEK293 cells against UV-induced cell death through inhibition of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase

Human glutamylcysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) is the rate-limiting enzyme for glutathione synthesis. The heavy subunit possesses all the catalytic activities. UV irradiation (UV-C, 30 J/m(2)) induced apoptosis in HEK293 cells, but the morphological changes were inhibited significantly by expression of GCLC. MTS assay and flow cytometry results also indicated that GCLC and JNK1(APF) expression enhanced cellular resistance to UV irradiation. Western blotting showed that irradiation strongly activated the c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinases (JNKs) and caspase-3 as well as p38 in HEK293 cells. Interestingly, existing data show that GCLC blocks JNK1 phosphorylation but does not affect p38 phosphorylation. Therefore, overexpression of GCLC protected HEK293 cells against UV irradiation-induced cell death by inhibiting the phosphorylation and activation of JNK1, concomitantly with the inhibition of caspase-3 activation and p21(WAF1)-luciferase activity downstream of JNK.     

UV light-induced DNA damage and tolerance for the survival of nucleotide excision repair-deficient human cells

DNA damage can cause cell death unless it is either repaired or tolerated. The precise contributions of repair and tolerance mechanisms to cell survival have not been previously evaluated. Here we have analyzed the cell killing effect of the two major UV light-induced DNA lesions, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and 6-4 pyrimidine-pyrimidone photoproducts (6-4PPs), in nucleotide excision repair-deficient human cells by expressing photolyase(s) for light-dependent photorepair of either or both lesions. Immediate repair of the less abundant 6-4PPs enhances the survival rate to a similar extent as the immediate repair of CPDs, indicating that a single 6-4PP lesion is severalfold more toxic than a CPD in the cells. Because UV light-induced DNA damage is not repaired at all in nucleotide excision repair-deficient cells, proliferation of these cells after UV light irradiation must be achieved by tolerance of the damage at replication. We found that RNA interference designed to suppress polymerase zeta activity made the cells more sensitive to UV light. This increase in sensitivity was prevented by photorepair of 6-4PPs but not by photorepair of CPDs, indicating that polymerase zeta is involved in the tolerance of 6-4PPs in human cells.     

The in vitro photosensitivity of systemic lupus erythematosus skin fibroblasts

To investigate the role of DNA damage in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we studied the ability of skin fibroblasts derived from SLE patients to recover from ultraviolet (UV) light radiation of varying wavelengths. Four of five SLE cell strains were more sensitive to UV-C (254 nm), sun lamp, and UV-A (320 to 400 nm) light than were normal cells. SLE cellular recovery was most sensitive to broad spectrum, long wavelength light. This hypersensitivity did not appear to result from the UV light activation of a clastogenic factor. Experiments which examined the DNA repair capacity of irradiated cells indicated that SLE fibroblasts may be able to excise certain DNA lesions as well as normal cells. The mechanisms responsible for the hypersensitivity of SLE cells remain under investigation.     

Cell line dependent involvement of ceramide in ultraviolet light-induced apoptosis

Ultraviolet light (UV) activates an acid sphingomyelinase (ASMase) pathway, which hydrolyzes sphingomyeline to ceramide. Ceramide has been found to be a second messenger, which activates the c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) that is required for apoptotic cell death. However, the role of ceramide in UV-induced JNK activation and apoptosis remains controversial. In this study, we examined the correlation among ceramide production, JNK activation and cell apoptosis after UV-irradiation in three cell lines: 293 (kidney), Jurkat (lymphocytes) and MCF-7 (breast) were used in this study. The ceramide production was analyzed using the diacylglycerol kinase assay method. The JNK activation was measured by Western blot analysis using an antibody specifically recognizing phosphorylated JNK. Cell apoptosis was determined by morphological change or flow cytometry. Our data show that UV-irradiation induces ceramide production in both 293 and Jurkat cells. Inhibition of ceramide production by desipramine (25–50 M) reduced UV-induced JNK activation in both 293 and Jurkat cells; and protects 293 cells from UV-induced apoptosis. However, inhibition of ceramide production does not prevent Jurkat cells from UV-induced apoptosis. In addition, our data demonstrates that UV-irradiation induces JNK activation and apoptosis of MCF-7 cells without production of detectable amounts of ceramide after UV-irradiation. These results suggest that UV-induced JNK activation and apoptosis can be mediated through a ceramide dependent or an independent pathway.     

Suppressing autophagy protects photoreceptor cells from light-induced injury

Autophagy, a conserved cellular self-degradation process, not only serves to protect cells at critical times during development and nutrient stress, but also contributes to cell death. Photoreceptor cells are unique neurons which when directly exposed to the light, transduces light stimuli into visual signal. However, intense light exposure can be cytotoxic to the retina. So far, the precise mechanism underlying retina light injury remains unknown, and the effective therapy is still unavailable. Here, we found that visible light exposure activated the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) pathway and led to remarkable autophagy in photoreceptor cells (661W cells). Directly blocking autophagy with 3MA or LY294002 markedly attenuated light-induced death in 661W cells. Among the activated downstream factors of MAPK pathway, ERK, not JNK or p-38, played a critical role in light-induced death mechanism. Inhibiting the activation of ERK with its specific inhibitor PD98059 significantly suppressed light-induced autophagy and protected 661W cells from light injury. These results indicate that autophagy is an essential event in light-induced photoreceptor death and that directly blocking autophagy or suppressing autophagy by inhibiting the ERK pathway could effectively attenuates light-induced damage. These observations may have a potential application in the treatment of retinal light injury.     

Activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 by UV irradiation is inhibited by wortmannin without affecting c-iun expression

Activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs)/stress-activated protein kinases is an early response of cells upon exposure to DNA-damaging agents. JNK-mediated phosphorylation of c-Jun is currently understood to stimulate the transactivating potency of AP-1 (e.g., c-Jun/c-Fos; c-Jun/ATF-2), thereby increasing the expression of AP-1 target genes. Here we show that stimulation of JNK1 activity is not a general early response of cells exposed to genotoxic agents. Treatment of NIH 3T3 cells with UV light (UV-C) as well as with methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) caused activation of JNK1 and an increase in c-Jun protein and AP-1 binding activity, whereas antineoplastic drugs such as mafosfamide, mitomycin C, N-hydroxyethyl-N-chloroethylnitrosourea, and treosulfan did not elicit this response. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin specifically blocked the UV-stimulated activation of JNK1 but did not affect UV-driven activation of extracellular regulated kinase 2 (ERK2). To investigate the significance of JNK1 for transactivation of c-jun, we analyzed the effect of UV irradiation on c-jun expression under conditions of wortmannin-mediated inhibition of UV-induced stimulation of JNK1. Neither the UV-induced increase in c-jun mRNA, c-Jun protein, and AP-1 binding nor the activation of the collagenase and c-jun promoters was affected by wortmannin. In contrast, the mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase inhibitor PD98056, which blocked ERK2 but not JNK1 activation by UV irradiation, impaired UV-driven c-Jun protein induction and AP-1 binding. Based on the data, we suggest that JNK1 stimulation is not essential for transactivation of c-jun after UV exposure, whereas activation of ERK2 is required for UV-induced signaling leading to elevated c-jun expression.     

UV-C irradiation delays mitotic progression by recruiting Mps1 to kinetochores

The effect of UV irradiation on replicating cells during interphase has been studied extensively. However, how the mitotic cell responds to UV irradiation is less well defined. Herein, we found that UV-C irradiation (254 nm) increases recruitment of the spindle checkpoint proteins Mps1 and Mad2 to the kinetochore during metaphase, suggesting that the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is reactivated. In accordance with this, cells exposed to UV-C showed delayed mitotic progression, characterized by a prolonged chromosomal alignment during metaphase. UV-C irradiation also induced the DNA damage response and caused a significant accumulation of γ-H2AX on mitotic chromosomes. Unexpectedly, the mitotic delay upon UV-C irradiation is not due to the DNA damage response but to the relocation of Mps1 to the kinetochore. Further, we found that UV-C irradiation activates Aurora B kinase. Importantly, the kinase activity of Aurora B is indispensable for full recruitment of Mps1 to the kinetochore during both prometaphase and metaphase. Taking these findings together, we propose that UV irradiation delays mitotic progression by evoking the Aurora B-Mps1 signaling cascade, which exerts its role through promoting the association of Mps1 with the kinetochore in metaphase.     

DNA Replication Arrest in Response to Genotoxic Stress Provokes Early Activation of Stress-Activated Protein Kinases (SAPK/JNK)

The impact of DNA damage-induced replication blockage for early activation of stress kinases [stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK)/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)] is largely unknown. Here, we show that induction of dual phosphorylation of SAPK/JNK by the DNA polymerase inhibitor aphidicolin was not ameliorated by additional exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, indicating that overlapping mechanisms participate in signaling to SAPK/JNK triggered by both agents. UV-induced DNA replication blockage, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer formation and DNA strand break induction coincided with SAPK/JNK phosphorylation at early (≤ 30 min) but not late (≥ 2 h) time points after exposure. Genotoxin-stimulated SAPK/JNK activation was attenuated in nonproliferating cells, indicating that S phase-dependent mechanisms are involved in signaling to SAPK/JNK. Correspondingly, UV-induced phosphorylation of SAPK/JNK was higher in S-phase cells as compared with G₁-phase cells. Activation of SAPK/JNK by genotoxins was below detection limit in nonproliferating human peripheral blood lymphocytes, whereas peripheral blood lymphocytes stimulated to proliferation displayed clear SAPK/JNK activation. UV-induced phosphorylation of SAPK/JNK was attenuated in XPC-defective cells, ameliorated in BRCA2 mutated cells and not changed in cells lacking ATM, DNA-PK, CSB, XPA, p53, ERCC1 or PARP as compared with the corresponding wild types. Based on these data, we suggest that DNA replication blockage caused by genotoxin-induced DNA damage contributes to early activation of SAPK/JNK.     

Ultraviolet light-induced apoptotic death is impaired by the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor lovastatin

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (i.e., statins) attenuate C-terminal isoprenylation of Rho GTPases, thereby inhibiting UV-C-induced activation of c-Jun-N-terminal kinases/stress-activated protein kinases (JNKs/SAPKs). Inhibition of UV-C-triggered JNK/SAPK activation by lovastatin is due to inhibition of Rac-SEK1/MKK4-mediated phosphorylation of JNKs/SAPKs at Thr183/Tyr185. UV-C-stimulated phosphorylation of p38 kinase (Thr180/Tyr182) is also impaired by lovastatin. Cell killing provoked by UV-C irradiation was significantly inhibited by lovastatin. This was paralleled by a reduced frequency of chromosomal aberrations, accelerated recovery from UV-C-induced transient replication blockage, inhibition of Chk1 kinase activation and impaired cyclinB1 expression. Furthermore, UV-C-induced activation of caspases and apoptotic death was largely reduced by lovastatin. Inhibition of JNK/SAPK by transient overexpression of dominant-negative JNK1/SAPK1 also conferred resistance to UV-C light and attenuated activation of caspase 3. Based on the data, we suggest that lovastatin-provoked resistance to UV-C light is due to the inhibition of UV-C-inducible Rac-SEK1/MKK4-JNK/SAPK-dependent signal mechanisms regulating cell cycle progression and activation of caspases and apoptotic death.     

The two major spore DNA repair pathways, nucleotide excision repair and spore photoproduct lyase, are sufficient for the resistance of Bacillus subtilis spores to artificial UV-C and UV-B but not to solar radiation.

Bacterial endospores are 1 to 2 orders of magnitude more resistant to 254-nm UV (UV-C) radiation than are exponentially growing cells of the same strain. This high UV resistance is due to two related phenomena: (i) DNA of dormant spores irradiated with 254-nm UV accumulates mainly a unique thymine dimer called the spore photoproduct (SP), and (ii) SP is corrected during spore germination by two major DNA repair pathways, nucleotide excision repair (NER) and an SP-specific enzyme called SP lyase. To date, it has been assumed that these two factors also account for resistance of bacterial spores to solar UV in the environment, despite the fact that sunlight at the Earth's surface consists of UV-B, UV-A, visible, and infrared wavelengths of approximately 290 nm and longer. To test this assumption, isogenic strains of Bacillus subtilis lacking either the NER or SP lyase DNA repair pathway were assayed for their relative resistance to radiation at a number of UV wavelengths, including UV-C (254 nm), UV-B (290 to 320 nm), full-spectrum sunlight, and sunlight from which the UV-B portion had been removed. For purposes of direct comparison, spore UV resistance levels were determined with respect to a calibrated biological dosimeter consisting of a mixture of wild-type spores and spores lacking both DNA repair systems. It was observed that the relative contributions of the two pathways to spore UV resistance change depending on the UV wavelengths used in a manner suggesting that spores irradiated with light at environmentally relevant UV wavelengths may accumulate significant amounts of one or more DNA photoproducts in addition to SP. Furthermore, it was noted that upon exposure to increasing wavelengths, wild-type spores decreased in their UV resistance from 33-fold (UV-C) to 12-fold (UV-B plus UV-A sunlight) to 6-fold (UV-A sunlight alone) more resistant than mutants lacking both DNA repair systems, suggesting that at increasing solar UV wavelengths, spores are inactivated either by DNA damage not reparable by the NER or SP lyase system, damage caused to photosensitive molecules other than DNA, or both.     

Late induction of human DNA ligase I after UV-C irradiation.

We have studied the regulation of DNA ligase I gene expression in UV-C irradiated human primary fibroblasts. An increase of approximately 6-fold both in DNA ligase I messenger and activity levels was observed 24 h after UV treatment, when nucleotide excision repair (NER) is no longer operating. DNA ligase I induction is serum-independent and is controlled mainly by the steady-state level of its mRNA. The activation is a function of the UV dose and occurs at lower doses in cells showing UV hypersensitivity. No increase in replicative DNA polymerase alpha activity was found, indicating that UV induction of DNA ligase I occurs through a pathway that differs from the one causing activation of the replication machinery. These data suggest that DNA ligase I induction could be linked to the repair of DNA damage not removed by NER.