Influence of Bax or Bcl-2 overexpression on the ceramide-dependent apoptotic pathway in glioma cells.
Ceramide has recently been regarded as a potential mediator of apoptosis. In the present study, the effects of Bcl-2 and Bax on the ceramide-mediated apoptotic pathways were examined in glioma cells overexpressing Bcl-2 or Bax. Etoposide, cisplatin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha induced apoptosis of C6 rat glioma cells which was associated with ceramide formation due to activation of neutral sphingomyelinase, followed by release of mitochondrial cytochrome c into the cytosol and activation of caspases-9 and -3. The growth of C6 cells stably overexpressing either Bcl-2 or Bax was almost equal to that of the vector-transfected cells. Bax overexpression enhanced etoposide-induced apoptosis through acceleration of cytochrome c release and caspases activation. However, Bax had no effect on ceramide formation. Similar findings were obtained in C6 cells and U87-MG human glioblastoma cells which were transiently overexpressed with Bax. In contrast, Bcl-2 overexpression resulted in a retardation of the apoptotic process via prevention of cytochrome c release and caspases activation, and ceramide formation was also blocked when Bcl-2 was highly overexpressed in glioma cells. In addition, transient overexpression of Bcl-xL also exerted inhibitory effects on ceramide formation and apoptotic cell death induced by etoposide. These results indicate that Bax promotes apoptosis regardless of ceramide formation and that Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL prevents ceramide formation by repressing neutral sphingomyelinase as well as ceramide-induced cytochrome c release. Oncogene (2000) 19, 3508 - 3520
Sawada
M
M
Department of Neurosurgery, Gifu University School of Medicine, Tsukasamachi-40, Gifu 500-8705, Japan.
Nakashima
S
S
Banno
Y
Y
Yamakawa
H
H
Takenaka
K
K
Shinoda
J
J
Nishimura
Y
Y
Sakai
N
N
Nozawa
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002518:Ceramides / Q000502:physiology*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000494:pharmacology; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free / Q000494:pharmacology; D003574:Cytochrome c Group / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005047:Etoposide / Q000494:pharmacology; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D019254:Genes, bcl-2; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005910:Glioma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000201:enzymology; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051020:bcl-X Protein
C494826:BAX protein, human; C494811:BCL2L1 protein, human; C494828:Bax protein, rat; C494813:Bcl2l1 protein, rat; D002518:Ceramides; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D003574:Cytochrome c Group; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051020:bcl-X Protein; D005047:Etoposide; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase; D020169:Caspases; D002945:Cisplatin