title: Serine protease inhibitors block neutral sphingomyelinase activation, ceramide generation, and apoptosis triggered by daunorubicin.
abstract: To address the role of a plausible protease cascade in daunorubicin-triggered apoptosis, we evaluated the effect of cell-permeant protease inhibitors on its signal transduction pathway. Treatment of U937 and HL-60 cells with 0.5-1 microM of the chemotherapeutic drug daunorubicin induced a greater than 30% activation of neutral sphingomyelinase activity within 4-10 min with concomitant sphingomyelin hydrolysis and ceramide generation. DNA fragmentation and the classical morphological features of apoptosis were observed within 4-6 h. Pretreatment of cells with the serine protease inhibitors N-tosyl-L-phenylalanyl chloromethyl ketone (20 microM) or dichloroisocoumarin (20 microM) for 30 min inhibited daunorubicin-induced neutral sphingomyelinase activation, sphingomyelin hydrolysis, ceramide generation, and apoptosis. Other cell-permeant protease inhibitors such as pepstatin, leupeptin, and antipain had no such effect. The apoptotic response could be restored by the addition of 25 microM cell-permeant C6-ceramide. Daunorubicin-induced NF-kappaB activation was inhibited by dichloroisocoumarin but not by N-tosyl-L-phenylalanyl chloromethyl ketone, suggesting that this transcription factor can be activated independently of ceramide and is not directly implicated in the apoptotic pathway. These results suggest that inhibitors of serine proteases can act upstream of ceramide in drug-triggered apoptosis and that neutral sphingomyelinase activation is either directly or indirectly serine protease dependent.
authors.affiliation: CJF INSERM 9503, Centre Claudius Régaud, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mansat
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bettaïeb
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Levade
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Laurent
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Jaffrézou
mesh_terms: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000633:toxicity*; D000976:Antipain / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002518:Ceramides / Q000378:metabolism*; D003374:Coumarins / Q000494:pharmacology; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000187:drug effects; D003630:Daunorubicin / Q000633:toxicity*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D018922:HL-60 Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D006868:Hydrolysis; D049934:Isocoumarins; D007976:Leupeptins / Q000494:pharmacology; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010436:Pepstatins / Q000494:pharmacology; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D015842:Serine Proteinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase / Q000378:metabolism*; D013109:Sphingomyelins / Q000378:metabolism; D014108:Tosylphenylalanyl Chloromethyl Ketone / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D002518:Ceramides; D003374:Coumarins; D049934:Isocoumarins; D007976:Leupeptins; D016328:NF-kappa B; D010436:Pepstatins; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D015842:Serine Proteinase Inhibitors; D013109:Sphingomyelins; C014195:Streptomyces pepsin inhibitor; D000976:Antipain; D014108:Tosylphenylalanyl Chloromethyl Ketone; C046235:3,4-dichloroisocoumarin; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase; C032854:leupeptin; C031375:pepstatin; D003630:Daunorubicin