title: Induction of apoptosis by deregulated expression of DNA topoisomerase IIalpha.
abstract: DNA topoisomerase II (topo II) is an essential nuclear enzyme required for chromatin condensation and chromosome segregation during mitosis. Forced overexpression of topo IIalpha was found to cause morphological changes in recipient cells associated with apoptosis. This induction of apoptosis required nuclear localization of topo IIalpha, yet was independent of the DNA cleavage-religation activity of the enzyme. Apoptosis mediated by topo IIalpha deregulation was blocked by overexpression of crmA, a specific inhibitor of certain caspases, but not by bcl-2. topo IIalpha-induced apoptosis was also blocked by overexpression of a dominant-acting mutant of stress-activated protein kinase kinase (SEK1/MKK4) but not by the overexpression of its normal counterpart. Furthermore, apoptosis was blocked by coexpression of a dominant-negative form of the cyclin-dependent kinase cdk2 but not by dominant-negative cdc2. These results provide a rationale for the tight regulation of topo IIalpha levels through the cell cycle in that deregulation of topo IIalpha expression results in apoptotic cell death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: McPherson
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Goldenberg
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D042846:CDC2-CDC28 Kinases; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D020169:Caspases / Q000502:physiology; D002453:Cell Cycle; D051357:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D004250:DNA Topoisomerases, Type II / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006801:Humans; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
chemical_list: D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D042846:CDC2-CDC28 Kinases; C495894:CDK2 protein, human; D051357:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020169:Caspases; D004250:DNA Topoisomerases, Type II