title: The RasGAP N-terminal fragment generated by caspase cleavage protects cells in a Ras/PI3K/Akt-dependent manner that does not rely on NFkappa B activation.
abstract: RasGAP, a regulator of Ras GTPase family members, is cleaved at low levels of caspase activity into an N-terminal fragment (fragment N) that generates potent anti-apoptotic signals. At higher levels of caspase activity, fragment N is further cleaved into two fragments that strongly potentiate apoptosis. RasGAP could thus function as a sensor of caspase activity to determine whether a cell should survive or not. Here we show that fragment N protects cells by activating the Ras-PI3K-Akt pathway. Surprisingly, even though nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB) can be activated by Akt, it plays no role in the anti-apoptotic functions of fragment N. This indicates that Akt effectors are differentially regulated when fragment N is generated.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Cellulaire et de Morphologie, Université de Lausanne, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jiang-Yan
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Widmann
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D006868:Hydrolysis; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D015398:Signal Transduction; D020703:ras GTPase-Activating Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020169:Caspases; D016328:NF-kappa B; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D020703:ras GTPase-Activating Proteins; D018631:ras Proteins; C494918:AKT1 protein, human