title: Sponge Bcl-2 homologous protein (BHP2-GC) confers distinct stress resistance to human HEK-293 cells.
abstract: It is established that sponges, the phylogenetically oldest still extant phylum of Metazoa, possess key molecules of the apoptotic pathways, that is members from the Bcl-2 family and a pro-apoptotic molecule with death domains. Here we report on transfection studies of human cells with a sponge gene, GCBHP2. Sponge tissue was exposed to heat shock and tributyltin, which caused an upregulation of gene expression of GCBHP2. The cDNA GCBHP2 was introduced into human HEK-293 cells and mouse NIH-3T3 cells; the stable transfection was confirmed by the identification of the transcripts, by Western blotting as well as by immunofluorescence using antibodies raised against the recombinant polypeptide. HEK-293 cells, transfected with GCBHP2, showed high resistance to serum starvation and tributyltin treatment, compared to mock-transfected cells. In contrast to mock-transfected cells, GCBHP2-transfected cells activated caspase-3 to a lower extent. Thus, sponges contain gene(s) involved in apoptotic pathway(s) displaying their function also in human cells.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Abteilung Angewandte Molekularbiologie, Universität, Duesbergweg 6, D-55099 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wiens
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Diehl-Seifert
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Müller
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D018869:Heat-Shock Response / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011161:Porifera / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014220:Trialkyltin Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014220:Trialkyltin Compounds; C437969:bhp2 protein, Geodia cydonium; C011559:tributyltin; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases