title: Focal adhesion kinase affects the sensitivity of human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line SMMC-7721 to tumor necrosis factor-alpha/cycloheximide-induced apoptosis by regulating protein kinase B levels.
abstract: Most cell lines are resistant to tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) cytotoxicity and require cotreatment of TNF-alpha with cycloheximide (Chx) to undergo apoptosis. Recently, the serine/threonine protein kinase, protein kinase B has been demonstrated to protect cells from apoptosis induced by TNF-alpha. In this study, we have shown that the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, SMMC-7721, was insensitive to TNF-alpha cytotoxicity and underwent apoptosis quickly in the presence of TNF-alpha and Chx. PKB levels decreased during TNF-alpha/Chx-induced apoptosis. No significant change in PKB levels was found in the presence of TNF-alpha or Chx alone. It seemed that the level of PKB closely correlated with apoptosis. The protein level of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) was reduced by 66% by transfecting FAK antisense cDNA recombinant vector into SMMC-7721 cells. We determined the apoptosis-induced effect of TNF-alpha/Chx on the FAK antisense cDNA transfectant cells. The results indicated that the percentage of apoptotic cells was enhanced at lower doses of TNF-alpha (10, 20 or 50 U.mL(-1)) and decreased at a higher dose of TNF-alpha (1000 U.mL(-1)) in the transfected cells as compared to the control. Correspondingly, in the FAK antisense cDNA transfectant cells treated with lower doses of TNF-alpha in presence of 10 microg.mL(-1) Chx, the PKB level was lower, but in the FAK antisense cDNA transfectants treated with higher doses of TNF-alpha in presence of 10 microg.mL(-1) Chx, the PKB level was higher. In response to TNF-alpha alone, FAK antisense cDNA transfectants showed a decrease in the level of PKB. However, in the case of TNF-alpha cotreated with wortmannin, a specific inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PtdIns3K), the FAK antisense cDNA transfectants produced significantly less amounts of PKB than the control. It seemed that FAK could stimulate PKB levels through a pathway not involving PtdIns3K. These results suggest that FAK can affect the sensitivity of SMMC-7721 cells to TNF-alpha/Chx-induced apoptosis in a biphasic manner by regulating PKB levels.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Glycoconjugate Research, Ministry of Health, Department of Biochemistry, Shanghai Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zha
mesh_terms: D000730:Androstadienes / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology; D003513:Cycloheximide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D051417:Focal Adhesion Kinase 1; D051416:Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000502:physiology*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000077191:Wortmannin
chemical_list: D000730:Androstadienes; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D003513:Cycloheximide; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D051417:Focal Adhesion Kinase 1; D051416:Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C496050:PTK2 protein, human; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D000077191:Wortmannin