title: High glucose promotes mesangial cell apoptosis by oxidant-dependent mechanism.
abstract: Reactive oxygen species are recognized as important mediators of biological responses. Hyperglycemia promotes the intracellular generation of superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide. In several cell lines, oxidant stress has been linked to the activation of death programs. Here, we report for the first time that high ambient glucose concentration induces apoptosis in murine and human mesangial cells by an oxidant-dependent mechanism. The signaling cascade activated by glucose-induced oxidant stress included the heterodimeric redox-sensitive transcription factor NF-kappaB, which exhibited an upregulation in p65/c-Rel binding activity and suppressed binding activity of the p50 dimer. Recruitment of NF-kappaB and mesangial cell apoptosis were both inhibited by antioxidants, implicating oxidant-induced activation of NF-kappaB in the transmission of the death signal. The genetic program for glucose-induced mesangial cell apoptosis was characterized by an upregulation of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. In addition, phosphorylation of the proapoptotic protein Bad was attenuated in mesangial cells maintained at high-glucose concentration, favoring progression of the apoptotic process. These perturbations in the expression and phosphorylation of the Bcl-2 family were coupled with the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and caspase activation. Our findings indicate that in mesangial cells exposed to high ambient glucose concentration, oxidant stress is a proximate event in the activation of the death program, which culminates in mitochondrial dysfunction and caspase-3 activation, as the terminal event.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey 07103, USA.
authors.forename: Barinder P S
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frencher
authors.forename: Venkatesh
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.forename: Ashwani
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malhotra
authors.forename: Leonard G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Meggs
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003574:Cytochrome c Group / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005920:Glomerular Mesangium / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005947:Glucose / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D051379:Mice; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D016877:Oxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
chemical_list: C494826:BAX protein, human; C494827:Bax protein, mouse; D003574:Cytochrome c Group; D016328:NF-kappa B; D016877:Oxidants; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D020169:Caspases; D005947:Glucose