Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL play important roles in the crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis

Autophagy and apoptosis play important roles in the development, cellular homeostasis and, especially, oncogenesis of mammals. They may be triggered by common upstream signals, resulting in combined autophagy and apoptosis. In other instances, they may be mutually exclusive. Recent studies have suggested possible molecular mechanisms for crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis. Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, the well-characterized apoptosis guards, appear to be important factors in autophagy, inhibiting Beclin 1-mediated autophagy by binding to Beclin 1. In addition, Beclin 1, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL can cooperate with Atg5 or Ca(2+) to regulate both autophagy and apoptosis. Thus, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL represent a molecular link between autophagy and apoptosis. Here, we discuss the possible roles of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL in apoptosis and autophagy, and the crosstalk between them.     

Expression of Bcl—2 inhibited Fas—mediated apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma BEL—7404 cells

Apoptosis plays an important role in embryonic development,tissue remodeling,immune regulation and tumor regression.Two groups of molecules(Bcl-2 family and “Death factor” family) are involved in regulating apoptosis.In order to know about the effect of Bcl-2 on apoptosis induced by Fas,a typical member of “Death factor” family,the transfection experiments with expression vectors pcDNA3-fl and pcDNA3-bcl-2 were performed in BEL-7404 cells,a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line which expresses endogenous Fas,but not FasL and Bcl-2.The data showed that the expression of FasL in pcDNA3-fl transfected hepatoma cells obviously induced the apoptosis of the cells.However,the overexpression of Bcl-2 in pcDNA3-bcl-2 transfected 7404/b-16 cells counteracted pcDNA3-fl transient transfection mediated apoptosis.Further study by cotransfection experiments indicated that Bid but not Bax (both were pro-apoptotic proteins of Bcl-2 family) blocked the inhibitory effect of Bcl-2 on Fas-mediated apoptosis.These results suggested that Fas-mediated apoptosis in human hepatoma cells is possibly regulated by Bcl-2 family proteins via mitochondria pathway.     

Survivin inhibition is critical for Bcl-2 inhibitor-induced apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Our study aims to study the therapeutic effects of a novel Bcl-2 inhibitor, ABT-263, on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to provide primary preclinical data for future clinical trial with ABT-263. In this study we showed that Bcl-xL and survivin were up-regulated in HCC cell lines and human liver cancer tissues. Clinic used ABT-263 single treatment had no apoptotic effects on HCC cells whereas higher doses of ABT-263 did. Interestingly, the combination treatment of ABT-263 with survivin inhibitor YM-155 could result in significant apoptosis in HCC cells. Survivin inhibition through gene silencing significantly enhanced ABT-263 to induce apoptosis in HCC cells. We found that low dose of ABT-263 single treatment resulted in ERK activation and survivin up-regulation, which might be involved in the resistance of HCC cells to ABT-263 since blockade of ERK activation sensitized ABT-263-induced apoptosis. Importantly, ABT-263 and YM-155 combination treatment had no apoptotic effects on normal human hepatocytes. Taken together, these data suggest the combination treatment of Bcl-2 inhibitor and survivin inhibition may have a great potential for liver cancer therapy.     

Cytotoxic potentiation of vinblastine and paclitaxel by L-canavanine in human cervical cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma cells

BackgroundThe non-protein amino acid L-canavanine (L-CAV), found in several plants of the family Fabaceae is an antimetabolite which shows anticancer activity due to its ability to be incorporated into protein in the place of its analogue, L-arginine (L-ARG), leading to the alteration of the 3D conformation of newly synthesised proteins and usually a loss of their function.PurposeIn this study, the ability of L-CAV to potentiate the cytotoxicity of microtubule- targeting drugs used in the chemotherapy of cancer, vinblastine (VIN) and paclitaxel (PTX) was evaluated.Material and methodsThe following cancer cells grown in arginine-rich and arginine-free media were employed: HeLa, Hep G2 and SK-HEP-1. Drug combination experiment used a method based on the median-effect principle and mass-action law.ResultsWe observed that L-CAV, which is hardly toxic alone, potentiated the cytotoxicity of VIN and PTX in HeLa and hepatocellular carcinoma cells.ConclusionThis is the first study showing the cytotoxic potentiation of microtubule-targeting drugs by L-CAV. The mechanism of synergy and animal studies need to be investigated further to see whether L-CAV might become an adjuvant in cancer treatment.     

Bcl-xL promotes metastasis of breast cancer cells by induction of cytokines resistance

Metastasis is a highly complex process involving the survival of tumor cells, both in the blood stream and within specific organs. Cell-death and survival are determined by a number of gene products from an expanding family of the Bcl-2 gene, either promoting or preventing apoptosis. Furthermore, the survival of tumor cells may favor the accumulation of additional genetic alterations causing further growth and invasive opportunities which may lead to metastasis. To examine whether the prevention of cell-death influences the metastatic behavior, we transfected a human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-435 with the Bcl-xL cDNA and then studied metastatic ability of the selected clones in vivo. Our results show that Bcl-xL-clones had a decreased tumor growth latency and an increased metastatic ability. Apoptosis-resistance to cytokines was induced in 435 cells by Bcl-xL-expression with minor modifications in their proliferation rates. These cells also showed diminished adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins and a survival advantage in suspension over 435/Neo cells. Moreover, to determine survival in blood stream and in cells lodged in the lungs, we injected 435/Bcl-xL and 435/Neo cells at 1:3 proportion i.v., and animals were killed at intervals of 15' to 16 h after injection. Tumor cells were recovered from the lungs and Southern-blot analysis revealed the presence of exogenous Bcl-xL cDNA. These results showed that 435/Bcl-xL cells had a survival advantage in circulation over 435/Neo cells. This advantage in vivo was attributable to Bcl-xL expression. We conclude that Bcl-xL expression in breast cancer cells can increase metastatic activity. This advantage could be created by inducing resistance to apoptosis against cytokines, increasing cell survival in circulation, and enhancing anchorage-independent growth.     

Unidirectional crosstalk between Bcl-xL and Bcl-2 enhances the angiogenic phenotype of endothelial cells

Expression of Bcl-x(L) correlates with the clinical outcomes of patients with cancer. While the role of Bcl-2 in angiogenesis is becoming increasingly evident, the function of Bcl-x(L) in angiogenesis is unclear. Here, we showed that epidermal growth factor (EGF) induces in vitro capillary sprouting and Bcl-x(L) expression in primary endothelial cells. Bcl-x(L)-transduced human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMEC-Bcl-x(L)), but not empty vector control cells, spontaneously organize into capillary-like sprouts. Searching for a mechanism to explain these responses, we observed that Bcl-x(L) induced expression of the pro-angiogenic chemokines CXC ligand-1 (CXCL1) and CXC ligand-8 (CXCL8), and that blockade of CXC receptor-2 (CXCR2) signaling inhibited spontaneous sprouting of HDMEC-Bcl-x(L). Bcl-x(L) led to Bcl-2 upregulation, but Bcl-2 did not upregulate Bcl-x(L), suggesting the existence of a unidirectional crosstalk from Bcl-x(L) to Bcl-2. EGF and Bcl-x(L) activate the mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK pathway resulting in upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a known inducer of Bcl-2 in endothelial cells. Inhibition of VEGF receptor signaling in HDMEC-Bcl-x(L) prevented Bcl-2 upregulation and demonstrated the function of a VEGF-mediated autocrine loop. Bcl-2 downregulation by RNAi blocked CXCL1 and CXCL8 expression downstream of Bcl-x(L), and markedly decreased angiogenesis in vivo. We conclude that Bcl-x(L) functions as a pro-angiogenic signaling molecule controlling Bcl-2 and VEGF expression. These results emphasize a complex interplay between Bcl-2 family members beyond their classical roles in apoptosis.     

Unknotting the roles of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL in cell death

The antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL play important roles in inhibiting mitochondria-dependent extrinsic and intrinsic cell death pathways. It seems that these two proteins have distinct functions for inhibiting extrinsic and intrinsic cell death pathways. The overexpression of Bcl-2 is able to inhibit not only apoptotic cell death but also in part nonapoptotic cell death, which has the role of cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase, which may promote cellular senescence. The overexpression of Bcl-2 may also have the ability to enhance cell death in the interaction of Bcl-xL with other factors. The overexpression of Bcl-xL enhances autophagic cell death when apoptotic cell death is inhibited in Bax(-/-)/Bak(-/-) double knockout cells. This review discusses the previously unexplained aspects of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL functions associated with cell death, for better understanding of their functions in the regulation.     

Taxol induced Bcl-2 protein phosphorylation in human hepatocellular carcinoma QGY-7703 cell line

Bcl-2 family proteins play a critical role in the regulation of apoptosis. Treatment of a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, QGY-7703, with Taxol induced apoptosis and Bcl-2 protein phosphorylation. Microscopic observation indicated that apoptotic bodies (0-15%) of Taxol-treated QGY cells appeared after 12 h of treatment, and apoptotic QGY cells gradually increased to 40% after 24 h and 70% after 48 h. A DNA fragmentation assay showed that Taxol induced genomic DNA cleavage into 200 bp DNA fragments. Bcl-2 protein was phosphorylated in Taxol-treated QGY cells within 3 h of treatment, and continued gradually up to 24 h. By 48 h, the protein was unphosphorylated. Other Bcl-2 family proteins, including Bax (a heterodimerization partner of Bcl-2), Bcl-XL, Bak and Bad, were expressed, but at constant levels. The results show a close correlation between Bcl-2 phosphorylation and apoptosis in QGY cells. The inactivation of Bcl-2 protein phosphorylation could be one of the key mechanisms needed for the induction of apoptosis in Taxol-treated QGY cells.     

Effect of arsenic trioxide on human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells: inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis

Arsenic trioxide (As(2)O(3)), a major ingredient of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is found to be an effective anticancer drug in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). The present study explored the use of As(2)O(3) on human hepatocellular carcinoma by in vitro study. The study showed that the clinically achievable concentration of As(2)O(3), i.e. 2 microM, inhibited the cell proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, HepG2, in a time-dependent manner. The mechanistic study showed that 2 microM of As(2)O(3) acted through induction of apoptosis in which caspase-3 was activated. The results also suggested that mitochondria did not take part in As(2)O(3)-induced apoptosis.     

Aluminum chloride causes 5-fluorouracil resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells

Chemoresistance is one of the major obstacles in chemotherapy-based hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) intervention. Aluminum (Al) is an environmental pollutant that plays a vital role in carcinogenesis, tumorigenesis, and metastasis. However, the effect of Al on chemoresistance remains unknown. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a widely used antitumor drug. Therefore, we investigated the effects of aluminum chloride (AlCl₃) on the chemoresistance of HepG2 cells to 5-FU and explored the underlying mechanisms of these effects. The results demonstrated that AlCl₃ pretreatment attenuated 5-FU-induced apoptosis through Erk activation and reversed 5-FU-induced cell cycle arrest by downregulating p-Chk2^Thr68 levels. In addition, AlCl₃ markedly increased the levels of proteins associated with cell migration, such as MMP-2 and MMP-9. Further investigation demonstrated that an Erk inhibitor (U0126) reversed the AlCl₃-induced decrease in apoptosis, enhancement of cell cycle progression, promotion of cell migration, and attenuation of oxidative stress. In summary, AlCl₃ induced chemoresistance to 5-FU in HepG2 cells. The present study suggests a potential influence of AlCl₃ on 5-FU therapy. These findings may help others to understand and properly address the resistance of HCC to chemotherapeutic agents.     

Bcl-2 and caspase-8 related anoikis resistance in human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells

Detachment of adherent cells from extracellular matrix results in apoptosis, a process termed "anoikis". Resistance to anoikis is implicated in the progression of many malignancies by facilitating the migration and eventual colonization of distant sites. Human kidney epithelial cells 293T, human osteoblast cells hFOB 1.19 and human osteosarcoma cells Saos-2 significantly underwent anoikis when adherence was prevented. But human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells were distinctly anoikis resistant when detached. They formed large aggregates and showed little apoptosis compared to the other cells. When MG-63 cells were in suspension, caspase-8, physically associated with death receptor was activated by cell-matrix detachment, whereas. Caspase-3 and caspase-9 were not activated. Translational level of Bcl-2 significantly increased in a time-dependent manner, but the level of beta-catenin and PI3K did not. Caspase-8 participates in an anoikis-inducing process in MG-63 cells at an early time, and overexpression of Bcl-2 blocks activation of caspase-8 making MG-63 cells anoikis resistant.     

Epigenetic loss of CDH1 correlates with multidrug resistance in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Promoter CpG hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes is an essential step in cancer progression but little is known about its effect on cancer multidrug resistance. In this study, we showed that CDH1 promoter was hypermethylated in drug resistance of a doxorubicin-induced multidrug resistant hepatocellular carcinoma cell line R-HepG2. Transfection of CDH1 cDNA into R-HepG2 cells led to increased amount of doxorubicin uptake, decreased cell viability, decreased P-glycoprotein expression and increased apoptotic population of cells exposed to doxorubicin. Proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase FYN was over-expressed in R-HepG2 cells which displayed a negative correlation with the expression of CDH1. FYN was knocked down in R-HepG2 cells, leading to less drug resistance by increased cell viability, increased doxorubicin uptake and attenuated P-glycoprotein expression. Our findings identified epigenetic silencing of CDH1 in cancer cells might be a new molecular event of multidrug resistance.     

Modulation of mitochondrial permeability transition pore affects multidrug resistance in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a critical problem in the chemotherapy of cancers. Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) responds poorly to chemotherapy owing to its potent MDR. Chemotherapeutic drugs primarily act by inducing apoptosis of cancer cells, and defects in apoptosis may result in MDR. Mitochondrial permeability transition (mPT) is implicated as an important event in the control of cell death or survival and mPT represents a target for the development of cytotoxic drugs. This study aimed to investigate the effects of selective opener (Atractyloside glycoside, ATR) and inhibitor (Cyclosporine A, CsA) of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) on a CDDP-resistant HCC cell line (SK-Hep1 cells). In this study, a stable MDR phenotype characterization of SK-Hep1 cell line (SK-Hep1/CDDP cells) was established and used to investigate the role of mPTP in MDR. Results suggested that ATR accelerated the decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), reduced the Bax activity, and increased the apoptosis of SK-Hep1/CDDP cells; while CsA inhibited mPTP opening, reduced and delayed the decline of mitochondrial membrane potential, and increased the Bax activity, leading to increased tolerance of SK-Hep1/CDDP cells to apoptosis induction. However, mPTP activity had no effect on the expression of MDR1 in cells,meanwhile the P-gp translocation to mitochondria was increased, and functionally activated. In conclusion, selective modulation of mPTP can affect MDR in human HCC cells. Therefore, activation of mPTP may provide a new strategy to sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapeutic drugs and to reverse the MDR in cancer cells.     

HIV-specific CD8+ T cells exhibit markedly reduced levels of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL

Human immunodeficiency virus-specific CD8(+) T cells are highly sensitive to spontaneous and CD95/Fas-induced apoptosis, and this sensitivity may impair their ability to control HIV infection. To elucidate the mechanism behind this sensitivity, in this study we examined the levels of antiapoptotic molecules Bcl-2 and Bcl-x(L) in HIV-specific CD8(+) T cells from HIV-infected individuals. Bcl-2 expression was markedly decreased in HIV-specific CD8(+) T cells compared with CMV-specific and total CD8(+) T cells from HIV-infected individuals as well as total CD8(+) T cells from healthy donors. CD8(+) T cell Bcl-2 levels inversely correlated with spontaneous and CD95/Fas-induced apoptosis of CD8(+) T cells from HIV-infected individuals. HIV-specific CD8(+) T cells also had significantly lower levels of Bcl-x(L) compared with CMV-specific CD8(+) T cells. Finally, IL-15 induces both Bcl-2 and Bcl-x(L) expression in HIV-specific and total CD8(+) T cells, and this correlated with apoptosis inhibition and increased survival in both short- and long-term cultures. Our data indicate that reduced Bcl-2 and Bcl-x(L) may play an important role in the increased sensitivity to apoptosis of HIV-specific CD8(+) T cells and suggest a possible mechanism by which IL-15 increases their survival.     

Paeonol reverses paclitaxel resistance in human breast cancer cells by regulating the expression of transgelin 2

Paclitaxel (PTX) is a first-line antineoplastic drug that is commonly used in clinical chemotherapy for breast cancer treatment. However, the occurrence of drug resistance in chemotherapeutic treatment has greatly restricted its use. There is thus an urgent need to find ways of reversing paclitaxel chemotherapy resistance in breast cancer. Plant-derived agents have great potential in preventing the onset of the carcinogenic process and enhancing the efficacy of mainstream antitumor drugs. Paeonol, a main compound derived from the root bark of Paeonia suffruticosa, has various biological activities, and is reported to have reversal drug resistance effects. This study established a paclitaxel-resistant human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7/PTX) and applied the dual-luciferase reporter gene assay, MTT assay, flow cytometry, transfection assay, Western blotting and the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to investigate the reversing effects of paeonol and its underlying mechanisms. It was found that transgelin 2 may mediate the resistance of MCF-7/PTX cells to paclitaxel by up-regulating the expressions of the adenosine-triphosphate binding cassette transporter proteins, including P-glycoprotein (P-gp), multidrug resistance associated protein 1 (MRP1), and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). Furthermore, the ability of paeonol to reverse paclitaxel resistance in breast cancer was confirmed, with a superior 8.2-fold reversal index. In addition, this study found that paeonol down-regulated the transgelin 2-mediated paclitaxel resistance by reducing the expressions of P-gp, MRP1, and BCRP in MCF-7/PTX cells. These results not only provide insight into the potential application of paeonol to the reversal of paclitaxel resistance, thus facilitating the sensitivity of breast cancer chemotherapy, but also highlight a potential role of transgelin 2 in the development of paclitaxel resistance in breast cancer.     

Towards the next generation of dual Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitors

Structural modifications of the left-hand side of compound 1 were identified which retained or improved potent binding to Bcl-2 and Bcl-x_L in in vitro biochemical assays and had strong activity in an RS4;11 apoptotic cellular assay. For example, sulfoxide diastereomer 13 maintained good binding affinity and comparable cellular potency to 1 while improving aqueous solubility. The corresponding diastereomer (14) was significantly less potent in the cell, and docking studies suggest that this is due to a stereochemical preference for the R_S versus S_S sulfoxide. Appending a dimethylaminoethoxy side chain (27) adjacent to the benzylic position of the biphenyl moiety of 1 improved cellular activity by approximately three-fold, and this activity was corroborated in cell lines overexpressing Bcl-2 and Bcl-x_L.     

Leptin-leptin receptor are involved in angiogenesis in human hepatocellular carcinoma

Recent evidence in vitro and in vivo indicates that leptin, an adipose tissue-secreted hormone which is involved in the regulation of satiety, metabolic rate and thermogenesis, is implicated in angiogenesis. However, the role of leptin-mediated angiogenesis in hepatic carcinogenesis has not yet been completely elucidated. In this study, we have correlated microvascular density and leptin/leptin receptor (Ob-R) expression in endothelial and tumor cells with the histopathological type in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). For this purpose, specimens of 40 primary HCC were submitted to immunohistochemical investigation using anti-CD31, anti-leptin and anti-Ob-R antibodies. Poorly-differentiated HCC had a higher degree of vascularization than other stages and leptin/Ob-R expression in both tumor and endothelial cells increased in parallel with the grade of malignancy and was highly correlated with the degree of angiogenesis. In the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane in vivo assay, HCC biopsy specimens induced a strong angiogenic response, which was counteracted by an anti-leptin antibody. Taken together, these findings indicate that leptin/Ob-R correlate with angiogenesis and tumor progression in patients with HCC and that an anti-leptin antibody exerts an angiostatic activity in HCC.     

Noxa/Bcl-2 protein interactions contribute to bortezomib resistance in human lymphoid cells

Previous studies have suggested that the BH3 domain of the proapoptotic Bcl-2 family member Noxa only interacts with the anti-apoptotic proteins Mcl-1 and A1 but not Bcl-2. In view of the similarity of the BH3 binding domains of these anti-apoptotic proteins as well as recent evidence that studies of isolated BH3 domains can potentially underestimate the binding between full-length Bcl-2 family members, we examined the interaction of full-length human Noxa with anti-apoptotic human Bcl-2 family members. Surface plasmon resonance using bacterially expressed proteins demonstrated that Noxa binds with mean dissociation constants (K(D)) of 3.4 nm for Mcl-1, 70 nm for Bcl-x(L), and 250 nm for wild type human Bcl-2, demonstrating selectivity but not absolute specificity of Noxa for Mcl-1. Further analysis showed that the Noxa/Bcl-2 interaction reflected binding between the Noxa BH3 domain and the Bcl-2 BH3 binding groove. Analysis of proteins expressed in vivo demonstrated that Noxa and Bcl-2 can be pulled down together from a variety of cells. Moreover, when compared with wild type Bcl-2, certain lymphoma-derived Bcl-2 mutants bound Noxa up to 20-fold more tightly in vitro, pulled down more Noxa from cells, and protected cells against killing by transfected Noxa to a greater extent. When killing by bortezomib (an agent whose cytotoxicity in Jurkat T-cell leukemia cells is dependent on Noxa) was examined, apoptosis was enhanced by the Bcl-2/Bcl-x(L) antagonist ABT-737 or by Bcl-2 down-regulation and diminished by Bcl-2 overexpression. Collectively, these observations not only establish the ability of Noxa and Bcl-2 to interact but also identify Bcl-2 overexpression as a potential mechanism of bortezomib resistance.