title: MEK1 activation rescues Jurkat T cells from Fas-induced apoptosis.
abstract: Although the protease cascade initiated by Fas (CD95, Apo-1) is well characterized, there remains little known about how kinase pathways may impact on Fas-mediated apoptosis. We recently observed that in T lymphocytes Fas strongly induced activation of JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) but not of second messengers leading to activation of ERK (extracellular regulated kinase). Additionally, Fas-mediated apoptosis was significantly inhibited with PMA, a potent activator of the ERK signaling pathway. This suggested a model whereby activation of the ERK pathway might attenuate Fas-mediated apoptosis. This was confirmed in the current study by showing that activation of MEK1, the upstream regulator of ERK, reduces Fas-mediated apoptosis, whereas inhibition of MEK1 augments apoptosis by Fas. Furthermore, Fas-mediated apoptosis of Jurkat T cells is not affected by constitutively active or dominant negative variants that modulate the JNK pathway. These results demonstrate that Fas-induced JNK activation is not required for apoptosis by Jurkat T cells, but rather is more likely secondary to cell stress during the early phases of apoptosis. This is supported by the ability of the caspase blocker zVAD to inhibit both apoptosis and JNK activation by Fas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, The University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont, 05405, USA.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alessandrini
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Budd
mesh_terms: D017304:Annexin A5 / Q000378:metabolism; D017209:Apoptosis; D015415:Biomarkers; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006801:Humans; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D007700:Kinetics; D048369:MAP Kinase Kinase 1; D048056:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 9; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017304:Annexin A5; D015415:Biomarkers; D019014:fas Receptor; D011494:Protein Kinases; D048056:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 9; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048369:MAP Kinase Kinase 1; C482125:MAP2K1 protein, human; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases