Induction of apoptosis by c-Fos protein.
The role of c-Fos in apoptosis was examined in two Syrian hamster embryo cell lines (sup+I and sup-II) and a human colorectal carcinoma cell line (RKO), using the chimeric Fos-estrogen receptor fusion protein c-FosER. As previously reported, contrasting responses were observed when these two cell lines were placed under growth factor deprivation conditions; sup+I cells were highly susceptible to apoptosis, whereas sup-II cells were resistant. In this report, we show that the activated c-FosER protein induces apoptosis in sup-II preneoplastic cells in serum-free medium, indicating that c-Fos protein can induce apoptotic cell death in these cells. c-Fos-induced apoptosis was not blocked by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide, suggesting that the c-Fos transcriptional activation activity is not involved. This conclusion was further supported by the observation that overexpression of v-Fos, which is highly proficient in transcriptional activation but deficient in the transcriptional repression activity associated with c-Fos, did not induce apoptosis. Constitutively expressed Bcl-2 delayed the onset of low-serum-induced apoptosis in sup+I cells and enhanced survival in sup-II cells. Further, coexpression of Bcl-2 and c-FosER in sup+I or sup-II cells protected the cells from c-FosER-induced apoptosis. The possibility that c-FosER-induced apoptosis requires a p53 function was examined. Colorectal carcinoma RKOp53+/+ cells, which do not normally undergo apoptosis in serum-free medium, showed apoptotic DNA fragmentation upon expression and activation of c-FosER. Further, when the wild-type p53 protein was diminished in the RKO cells by infection with the papillomavirus E6 gene, subsequent c-FosER-induced apoptosis was blocked. The data suggest that c-Fos protein plays a causal role in the activation of apoptosis in a p53-dependent manner. This activity does not require new protein synthesis and is blocked by overexpression of Bcl-2 protein.
Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, USA.
G A
GA
Preston
T T
TT
Lyon
Y
Y
Yin
J E
JE
Lang
G
G
Solomon
L
L
Annab
D G
DG
Srinivasan
D A
DA
Alcorta
J C
JC
Barrett
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D006224:Cricetinae; D006801:Humans; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000502:physiology*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins