title: Resveratrol induces extensive apoptosis by depolarizing mitochondrial membranes and activating caspase-9 in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells.
abstract: Resveratrol, a plant antibiotic, has been found to have anticancer activity and was recently reported to induce apoptosis in the myeloid leukemia line HL60 by the CD95-CD95 ligand pathway. However, many acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALLs), particularly of B-lineage, are resistant to CD95-mediated apoptosis. Using leukemia lines derived from patients with pro-B t(4;11), pre-B, and T-cell ALL, we show in this report that resveratrol induces extensive apoptotic cell death not only in CD95-sensitive leukemia lines, but also in B-lineage leukemic cells that are resistant to CD95-signaling. Multiple dose treatments of the leukemic cells with 50 microM resveratrol resulted in >/=80% cell death with no statistically significant cytotoxicity against normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells under identical conditions. Resveratrol treatment did not increase CD95 expression or trigger sensitivity to CD95-mediated apoptosis in the ALL lines. Inhibition of CD95-signaling with a CD95-specific antagonistic antibody indicated that CD95-CD95 ligand interactions were not involved in initiating resveratrol-induced apoptosis. However, in each ALL line, resveratrol induced progressive loss of mitochondrial membrane potential as measured by the dual emission pattern of the mitochondria-selective dye JC-1. The broad spectrum caspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone failed to block the depolarization of mitochondrial membranes induced by resveratrol, further indicating that resveratrol action was independent of upstream caspase-8 activation via receptor ligation. However, increases in caspase-9 activity ranged from 4- to 9-fold in the eight cell lines after treatment with resveratrol. Taken together, these results point to a general mechanism of apoptosis induction by resveratrol in ALL cells that involves a mitochondria/caspase-9-specific pathway for the activation of the caspase cascade and is independent of CD95-signaling.
authors.affiliation: The Chair of Genetics, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, D91058 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dörrie
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gerauer
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wachter
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Zunino
mesh_terms: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D053453:Caspase 9; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D006801:Humans; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000187:drug effects; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000502:physiology; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D015452:Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D000077185:Resveratrol; D013267:Stilbenes / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D014178:Translocation, Genetic; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; C505661:FASLG protein, human; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D013267:Stilbenes; D019014:fas Receptor; C506433:CASP9 protein, human; D053453:Caspase 9; D020169:Caspases; D000077185:Resveratrol