title: Death of tumor cells after intracellular acidification is dependent on stress-activated protein kinases (SAPK/JNK) pathway activation and cannot be inhibited by Bcl-2 expression or interleukin 1beta-converting enzyme inhibition.
abstract: The extracellular microenvironment of tumors differs from that of most normal tissues. Many tumors have relatively acidic extracellular pH, although the intracellular pH of tumor cells remains normal due to the efficient maintenance of a large proton gradient across the membrane. This difference between tumors and normal tissues might be exploited therapeutically by disruption of the mechanisms that regulate intracellular pH, so that tumor cells are killed by intracellular acid-induced injury. To investigate the mechanisms by which intracellular acidification leads to cell death, we have studied the roles of the antiapoptotic gene bcl-2 and its proapoptotic binding partner bax, the stress-activated protein kinases (SAPK/JNK), and the caspase proteases in mediating acid-induced cell death. Whereas the expression of bcl-2 in human bladder cancer MGH-U1 cells had no effect on acid-induced death, overexpression of bax enhanced cell death, consistent with its proapoptotic function. Inhibition of SAPK, through the expression of a dominant negative mutant of its activator, SEK1, protected cells from acid-induced cell death. Caspase activation, as measured by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, was absent after lethal intracellular acidification. Consistent with this observation, inhibition of interleukin 1beta-converting enzyme proteases by the peptide z-Val-Ala-Asp(OMe)-CH2F did not protect against acid-induced cell killing. We conclude that acid-induced cell death depends on bax and on SAPK signaling pathways, but not on the caspase proteases. Therapeutic manipulation of bax and SAPK may enhance acid-induced tumor cell killing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, The Princess Margaret Hospital and The Ontario Cancer Institute, Toronto, Canada. zanke@oci.utoronto.ca
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Zanke
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arab
authors.forename: I F
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Tannock
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D020170:Caspase 1; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048670:MAP Kinase Kinase 4; D051379:Mice; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D009550:Nigericin / Q000494:pharmacology; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; C494826:BAX protein, human; C494827:Bax protein, mouse; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D011494:Protein Kinases; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048670:MAP Kinase Kinase 4; C482559:MAP2K4 protein, human; C482562:Map2k4 protein, mouse; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D020170:Caspase 1; D009550:Nigericin