title: The absence of NF-kappaB-mediated inhibition of c-Jun N-terminal kinase activation contributes to tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced apoptosis.
abstract: The proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) regulates immune responses, inflammation, and programmed cell death (apoptosis). TNF-alpha exerts its biological activities by activating multiple signaling pathways, including IkappaB kinase (IKK), c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK), and caspases. IKK activation inhibits apoptosis through the transcription factor NF-kappaB, whose target genes include those that encode inhibitors of both caspases and JNK. Despite activation of the antiapoptotic IKK/NF-kappaB pathway, TNF-alpha is able to induce apoptosis in cells sensitive to it, such as human breast carcinoma MCF-7 and mouse fibroblast LM cells. The molecular mechanism underlying TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis is incompletely understood. Here we report that in TNF-alpha-sensitive cells activation of the IKK/NF-kappaB pathway fails to block TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis, although its inactivation still promotes TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis. Interestingly, TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis is suppressed by inhibition of the JNK pathway but promoted by its activation. Furthermore, activation of JNK by TNF-alpha was transient in TNF-alpha-insensitive cells but prolonged in sensitive cells. Conversion of JNK activation from prolonged to transient suppressed TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis. Thus, absence of NF-kappaB-mediated inhibition of JNK activation contributes to TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Ben May Institute for Cancer Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Fangming
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Guilin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Jialing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Marsha R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Rosner
authors.forename: Anning
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006801:Humans; D020672:I-kappa B Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000072000:NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020672:I-kappa B Proteins; D007375:Interleukin-1; D016328:NF-kappa B; C000606204:NFKBIA protein, human; C000606205:Nfkbia protein, mouse; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000072000:NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate