Life span shortening of normal fibroblasts by overexpression of BCL-2: a result of potent increase in cell death

Reversible transformation and de-differentiation of human cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cell teratomas

We first aimed to generate transformed cell lines from a human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-teratoma, and then examined the tumorigenic risks of the differentiated cells from hiPSC explant, because hiPSC-derivatives give rise to tumors in immune-deficient mice when transplanted. The colonies isolated from sparse cultures of hiPSC-teratoma cells expressed NANOG and OCT3/4 strongly, and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) weakly. However, soft agar assay demonstrated that only one of them generated colonies in the gel, though hiPSCs, hTERT-transfected immortal cells, and its oncogene-transfected cells did not form any colonies. Furthermore, none of colonies isolated from the soft agar gel on primary culture (passage 0) of teratoma cells, expressed NANOG and OCT3/4 in the expanded cultures. The second soft agar assay on the colony-derived cells was unexpectedly negative. The cumulative growth curve, telomere shortening, and senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA β-gal) staining confirmed the mortality of these cells, suggesting their reversible transformation. By using medium for embryonic stem cell (ESC medium) after MCDB 131 (MCDB) medium, the differentiated culture cells derived from hiPSC-teratoma converted into the cells expressing undifferentiated marker proteins, which lost afterwords even in ESC medium with feeder SNL76/7. The reversibility of transformation and de-differentiation suggest that tumorigenic risks of differentiated cells arise when they are exposed to suitable niches in vivo. Thus, removal of only the undifferentiated cells from iPSC-derivatives before transplantation does not solve the problem. Elucidation of mechanisms of reversibility and control of epigenetic changes is discussed as a safety bottleneck for hiPSC therapy.

Molecular interactions of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL with mortalin: identification and functional characterization

Bcl-2 family of proteins consists of both pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic members that control cellular apoptosis. They predominantly reside in the mitochondria and control the release of apoptotic factors from the mitochondria to the cytosol by regulating its membrane potential and opening the PT (permeability transition) pore. Here we report bioinformatics and biochemical evidence to demonstrate the interaction between Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL with a stress chaperone, mortalin. We demonstrate that such interaction results in the abrogation of mortalin-p53 interaction leading to nuclear translocation and transcriptional reactivation of p53 function that results in an induction of senescence in cancer cells.

Context-Dependent Regulation of Autophagy by IKK-NF-κB Signaling: Impact on the Aging Process

The NF-κB signaling system and the autophagic degradation pathway are crucial cellular survival mechanisms, both being well conserved during evolution. Emerging studies have indicated that the IKK/NF-κB signaling axis regulates autophagy in a context-dependent manner. IKK complex and NF-κB can enhance the expression of Beclin 1 and other autophagy-related proteins and stimulate autophagy whereas as a feedback response, autophagy can degrade IKK components. Moreover, NF-κB signaling activates the expression of autophagy inhibitors (e.g., A20 and Bcl-2/xL) and represses the activators of autophagy (BNIP3, JNK1, and ROS). Several studies have indicated that NF-κB signaling is enhanced both during aging and cellular senescence, inducing a proinflammatory phenotype. The aging process is also associated with a decline in autophagic degradation. It seems that the activity of Beclin 1 initiation complex could be impaired with aging, since the expression of Beclin 1 decreases as does the activity of type III PI3K. On the other hand, the expression of inhibitory Bcl-2/xL proteins increases with aging. We will review the recent literature on the control mechanisms of autophagy through IKK/NF-κB signaling and emphasize that NF-κB signaling could be a potent repressor of autophagy with ageing.

Bcl-2 switches the type of demise from apoptosis to necrosis via cyclooxygenase-2 upregulation in HeLa cell induced by hydrogen peroxide

Bcl-2 is best known for its anti-apoptotic function in a wide variety of cell types. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of bcl-2 on the types of cell demise in the HeLa/bcl-2 cells induced by H2O2. The HeLa cell expressed stably bcl-2 was established and defined as the HeLa/bcl-2 cell strain, while the cell transfected with the empty expression vector was defined as the HeLa/vector cell strain. MTT assay revealed that the HeLa/bcl-2 cells showed a shorter life span. BrdU incorporation assay indicated that the bcl-2 exerted anti-demise effect on the HeLa/bcl-2 cells at the low concentration of H2O2. However, at the high concentration of H2O2, the death of the HeLa/bcl-2 cells was more than that of the HeLa/vector cells. The flow cytometry demonstrated that H2O2 mainly induced apoptosis in the HeLa/vector cells and elicited necrosis in the HeLa/bcl-2 cells. The addition of celecoxib to the cells treated by H2O2 could increase apoptosis in the HeLa/vector cells and convert necrosis into apoptosis in the HeLa/bcl-2 cells. The higher levels of cellular free radical and GSH were found in the HeLa/bcl-2 cells, but not in the HeLa/vector cells. With 200 microM H2O2 challenge for 48 h, the level of the cellular free radical was increased in the both strains, while the level of the GSH was decreased in the both strains. Celecoxib could reverse the difference between the both strains led by H2O2. Western blotting showed that the expression of COX-2 was always higher in the HeLa/bcl-2 cells than in the HeLa/vector cells under the both of treated and untreated with H2O2, while the level of COX-1 was relative stable in the both strains. These results suggested that the crosstalk between the bcl-2 and the COX-2 pathways could exist, the bcl-2 might up-regulate COX-2 to modify sensitivity to the types of demise in the HeLa/bcl-2 cell.

Bcl-2 but not clusterin/apolipoprotein J protected human diploid fibroblasts and immortalized keratinocytes from ceramide-induced apoptosis: role of p53 in the ceramide response

The role of clusterin/apolipoprotein J (Clu/ApoJ) and Bcl-2 on C(2)-ceramide-induced apoptosis of embryonic human diploid fibroblasts, MRC-5 and immortalized adult skin keratinocytes, HaCaT was investigated. C(2)-ceramide-induced apoptosis of HaCaT in a time- and dose-dependent manner, while in MRC-5 only at higher concentrations. There was a dose-dependent accumulation of Clu/ApoJ and downregulation of Bcl-2 which correlated with C(2)-ceramide-induced apoptosis of MRC-5. While overexpression of Bcl-2 suppressed C(2)-ceramide-mediated apoptosis in both cell types, Clu/ApoJ failed to do so, accessed by morphological changes, DNA fragmentation and PARP cleavage. There was no change in the expression of endogenous p53 or p21(Waf1/Cip1) upon C(2)-ceramide treatment of MRC-5. However, mutant p53(143ala) increased the sensitivity of MRC-5 to C(2)-ceramide-induced apoptosis by markedly downregulating Bcl-2, pointing to a role for p53. These results suggested that whereas downregulation of Bcl-2 may be a crucial factor involved in C(2)-ceramide-induced apoptosis, accumulation of Clu/ApoJ may be a signal of stress response. Moreover, the ceramide-activated apoptotic pathway may be regulated by p53.

Differential effects of clusterin/apolipoprotein J on cellular growth and survival

The secreted clusterin/apolipoprotein J (CLU) protein form is a ubiquitously expressed heterodimeric glycoprotein which is differentially regulated in many severe physiological disturbance states including cell death, ageing, cancer progression, and various neurological diseases. Despite extensive efforts CLU function remains an enigma, the main cause being the intriguingly distinct and usually opposed functions in various cell types and tissues. In the current report we investigated the effects of CLU on cellular growth and survival in three human osteosarcoma (OS) cell lines, namely KH OS, Sa OS, and U-2 OS that express very low, moderate, and high endogenous steady-state CLU amounts, respectively. We found that exposure of these established OS cell lines or primary OS cells to genotoxic stress results in CLU gene induction at distinct levels that correlate negatively to CLU endogenous amounts. Following CLU-forced overexpression by means of an artificial transgene, we found that although extracellular CLU inhibits cell death in all three OS cell lines, intracellular CLU has different effects on cellular proliferation and survival in these cell lines. Transgenic KH OS cell lines adapted to moderate intracellular CLU levels were growth-retarded and became resistant to genotoxic and oxidative stress. In contrast, transgenic Sa OS and U2 OS cell lines adapted to high intracellular CLU amounts were sensitive to genotoxic and oxidative stress. In these two cell lines, the proapoptotic CLU function could be rescued by caspase inhibition. To monitor the immediate effects of heterologous CLU overexpression prior to cell adaptation, we performed transient transfections in all three OS cell lines. We found that induction of high intracellular CLU amounts increases spontaneous apoptosis in KH OS cells and reduces DNA synthesis in all three cell lines assayed. On the basis of these novel findings we propose that although extracellular CLU as well as intracellular CLU at low/moderate levels is cytoprotective, CLU may become highly cytostatic and/or cytotoxic if it accumulates intracellularly in high amounts either by direct synthesis or by uptake from the extracellular milieu.