title: Enhancement of diphtheria toxin-induced apoptosis in Vero cells by combination treatment with brefeldin A and okadaic acid.
abstract: In the present study, we compared the abilities of ricin and diphtheria toxin to induce apoptosis in Vero cells. The cytolysis and DNA fragmentation by ricin paralleled its protein synthesis inhibitory activity. However, unlike ricin, diphtheria toxin could induce neither cytolysis nor DNA fragmentation in Vero cells up to very high concentration, in spite of the fact that Vero cells were even more sensitive to protein synthesis inhibition by diphtheria toxin than ricin. Interestingly, coexistence of brefeldin A (BFA) and okadaic acid (OA) significantly enhanced diphtheria toxin-mediated cytolysis and DNA fragmentation without affecting the activity of protein synthesis inhibition. Ammonium chloride almost completely abolished the ability of diphtheria toxin to induce apoptosis in the presence of BFA and OA as well as the protein synthesis inhibitory activity. The mutant CRM 197, which does not catalyze the ADP ribosylation of elongation factor-2 (EF-2), failed to induce apoptosis in Vero cells even in the presence of BFA and OA. Thus, translocation of diphtheria toxin into the cytosol and subsequent enzymatic inactivation of EF-2 may be necessary steps to induce apoptosis. Taken together our results suggest that protein synthesis inhibition by toxins is not sufficient to induce apoptosis, and underlying mechanisms of apoptosis induction may be distinct between ricin and diphtheria toxin. Since a morphological change in the Golgi complex was observed in Vero cells treated with BFA and OA, modulation of the Golgi complex by these reagents may be partly responsible for enhanced apoptosis induction by diphtheria toxin.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biochemistry, Faculty of Fisheries, Nagasaki University, Japan.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kusano
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kageyama
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muramatsu
mesh_terms: D009327:4-Chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D000643:Ammonium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D020126:Brefeldin A / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects; D002518:Ceramides / Q000032:analysis; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004167:Diphtheria Toxin / Q000633:toxicity*; D004232:Diuretics / Q000494:pharmacology; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D019319:Okadaic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012276:Ricin / Q000633:toxicity; D014709:Vero Cells
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002518:Ceramides; D004167:Diphtheria Toxin; D004232:Diuretics; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; D000643:Ammonium Chloride; C028581:CRM197 (non-toxic variant of diphtheria toxin); D019319:Okadaic Acid; D020126:Brefeldin A; C037974:N-(7-(4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole))-6-aminocaproyl sphingosine; D012276:Ricin; D009327:4-Chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan