title: Suppression of bcl-2 gene expression by sphingosine in the apoptosis of human leukemic HL-60 cells during phorbol ester-induced terminal differentiation.
abstract: Our recent studies have shown that intracellular levels of sphingosine, an endogenous PKC inhibitor, increase during apoptosis resulting from phorbol ester (PMA)-induced terminal differentiation of human myeloid leukemic HL-60 cells, and have suggested that sphingosine may function as an endogenous mediator of apoptosis in these cells [Ohta, et al. (1995) Cancer Res. 55, 691-697]. We report here that apoptosis induced by PMA, sphingosine, and N,N-dimethylsphingosine (DMS) was accompanied by a concomitant decrease of bcl-2 expression in both RNA and protein levels in HL-60 cells, while expression of bcl-XL and bax mRNA did not change, and neither sphingosine nor DMS induced differentiation of HL-60 cells. In contrast, in apoptotic cells induced by pharmaceutical PKC inhibitors H7 or staurosporine, expression of bcl-2 did not change nor did the intracellular sphingosine concentration. These results suggest that sphingosine may function as an endogenous mediator of apoptotic signaling in PMA-induced terminal differentiation of HL-60 cells through bcl-2 down-regulation, probably independent from PKC inhibition.
authors.affiliation: Biomembrane Institute, Seattle, WA 98119, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sakakura
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Sweeney
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shirahama
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hakomori
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Igarashi
mesh_terms: D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine; D000470:Alkaloids / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D018922:HL-60 Cells; D006801:Humans; D007546:Isoquinolines / Q000494:pharmacology; D007700:Kinetics; D010879:Piperazines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D013110:Sphingosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019311:Staurosporine; D013489:Suppression, Genetic; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051020:bcl-X Protein
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; C494826:BAX protein, human; C494811:BCL2L1 protein, human; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007546:Isoquinolines; D010879:Piperazines; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051020:bcl-X Protein; D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D019311:Staurosporine; C061800:N,N-dimethylsphingosine; D013110:Sphingosine; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate