title: CPP32 inhibition prevents Fas-induced ceramide generation and apoptosis in human cells.
abstract: Intracellular activation of sphingomyelinase, leading to ceramide generation, and ICE-like proteases have been implicated in TNF and Fas-induced apoptosis, but the links between these intracellular apoptotic mediators remain undefined. We show here that a specific peptide inhibitor of the ICE-like protease CPP32/Yama (DEVD-CHO) blocks anti-Fas-induced apoptosis in Jurkat and U937 cells, while having no effect on TNF-induced apoptosis in U937 cells. This peptide also prevents ceramide accumulation induced by Fas engagement. Jurkat and U937 cells, as well as their mtDNA-depleted derived lines (rho degree cells), were sensitive to ceramide toxicity, which was not prevented by ICE-like protease inhibitors. These results, taken together, suggest that ICE-like protease activation is a prerequisite for ceramide generation and subsequent apoptosis, at least in the case of Fas-induced cell death.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica y Biologia Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gamen
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Marzo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anel
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piñeiro
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Naval
mesh_terms: D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D002460:Cell Line; D002518:Ceramides / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones; D002518:Ceramides; D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; C098738:N-acetyl-tyrosyl-valyl-alanyl-aspartyl chloromethyl ketone; D009842:Oligopeptides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C099158:acetyl-aspartyl-glutamyl-valyl-aspartal; D019014:fas Receptor; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases