title: Dissociation of Bax from a Bcl-2/Bax heterodimer triggered by phosphorylation of serine 70 of Bcl-2.
abstract: Serine 70 in the loop region of Bcl-2 is specifically phosphorylated by paclitaxel-treatment in tumor cells and BHK cells expressing Bcl-2. The phosphorylation of serine 70 of Bcl-2 (pS70-Bcl-2) peaks 24 to 48 h after paclitaxel treatment and accelerates apoptosis. Phosphorylation is effectively inhibited in the presence of actinomycin D or cycloheximide, which restore cell viability to the same level as control cells not expressing Bcl-2. These results indicate that paclitaxel-induced kinase(s) and/or its activator(s) are synthesized de novo and play an important role in paclitaxel-induced apoptosis by phosphorylating Bcl-2. In binding assays using the phosphorylation-specific antibody against pS70-Bcl-2, the induction of serine 70 phosphorylation 70 results in a loss of the binding ability of Bcl-2 to Bax, a pro-apoptotic partner, and induces subsequent cell death. When the pS70-Bcl-2 antibody was added to human breast cancer tissue, serine 70 phosphorylation was also detected, even prior to treatment with anticancer agents. Further study of breast cancers revealed 83% of tumors with high pS70-Bcl-2 expression responded to paclitaxel or docetaxel treatment, whereas 57% of those with low expression not respond. These findings suggest that pS70-Bcl-2 might be a predictive factor for prognosis and sensitivity to paclitaxel treatment for breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Cell Physiology, The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 3-18-22 Honkomagome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8613, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shitashige
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shibasaki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D006224:Cricetinae; D003574:Cytochrome c Group / Q000378:metabolism; D019281:Dimerization; D005347:Fibroblasts; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology; D008647:Mesocricetus; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000494:pharmacology; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000187:drug effects; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D012694:Serine / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; C494826:BAX protein, human; D003574:Cytochrome c Group; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D012694:Serine; D011494:Protein Kinases; D017239:Paclitaxel