title: Erythropoietin can induce the expression of bcl-x(L) through Stat5 in erythropoietin-dependent progenitor cell lines.
abstract: Erythropoietin (Epo) initiates its cellular response by binding to the Epo receptor, which triggers the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat) 5 protein. Cell culture studies of erythroid progenitors have suggested that Epo functions as a survival factor by repressing apoptosis at least in part through Bcl-x(L), an anti-apoptotic protein of the Bcl-2 family. In this report, we examine whether Stat5 can induce transactivation of the bcl-x gene in response to Epo. Two Epo-responsive progenitor cell lines, HCD-57 and Bcl-2-transfected Ba/F3-Epo receptor (Ba/F3-EpoR-Bcl-2), were used in this study. After Epo stimulation, we observed a correlation between expression of bcl-x(L) and activation of Stat5 as assessed by the expression of oncostatin M, a direct target of Stat5, and the phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of Stat5. Moreover, a Stat binding element in the bcl-x promoter was found to be active in response to Epo, a finding that was further confirmed because mutagenesis of this sequence motif abrogated its promoter activity and overexpression of a dominant negative Stat5 protein blocked transactivation. When DNA-protein binding analyses were performed, we found that Stat5, not Stat1 or Stat3, was the protein bound to the bcl-x promoter in response to Epo. These data suggest that Epo-dependent activation of Stat5 is a transcriptional pathway that can be used by Epo-responsive progenitor cells to induce the expression of bcl-x(L) and consequently to inhibit apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Inmunologia, Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla, INSALUD, 39008 Santander, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benito
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sanz
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Prosper
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ekhterae
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nuñez
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Luna
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002460:Cell Line; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015672:Erythroid Precursor Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015870:Gene Expression; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D053614:Janus Kinase 2; D051379:Mice; D008894:Milk Proteins; D011485:Protein Binding; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D020218:Response Elements; D050799:STAT5 Transcription Factor; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D051020:bcl-X Protein
chemical_list: C494812:Bcl2l1 protein, mouse; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D008894:Milk Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D050799:STAT5 Transcription Factor; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051020:bcl-X Protein; D004921:Erythropoietin; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C507926:Jak2 protein, mouse; D053614:Janus Kinase 2