title: Gene expression during ER stress-induced apoptosis in neurons: induction of the BH3-only protein Bbc3/PUMA and activation of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.
abstract: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of ischemic and neurodegenerative disorders. Treatment of human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells with tunicamycin, an inhibitor of protein glycosylation, rapidly induced the expression of target genes of the unfolded protein response. However, prolonged treatment also triggered a delayed, caspase-dependent cell death. Microarray analysis of gene expression changes during tunicamycin-induced apoptosis revealed that the Bcl-2 homology domain 3-only family member, Bcl-2 binding component 3/p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (Bbc3/PUMA), was the most strongly induced pro-apoptotic gene. Expression of Bbc3/PUMA correlated with a Bcl-xL-sensitive release of cytochrome c and the activation of caspase-9 and -3. Increased expression of Bbc3/PUMA was also observed in p53-deficient human cells, in response to the ER stressor thapsigargin, and in rat hippocampal neurons after transient forebrain ischemia. Overexpression of Bbc3/PUMA was sufficient to trigger apoptosis in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, and human cells deficient in Bbc3/PUMA showed dramatically reduced apoptosis in response to ER stress. Our data suggest that the transcriptional induction of Bbc3/PUMA may be sufficient and necessary for ER stress-induced apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Experimental Neurosurgery, Center for Biological Chemistry (ZBC), HS 25 B, 4. OG, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Clinics, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, D-60590 Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Claus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reimertz
authors.forename: Donat
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kögel
authors.forename: Abdelhaq
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rami
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chittenden
authors.forename: Jochen H M
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Prehn
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000378:metabolism*; D017510:Protein Folding; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D014415:Tunicamycin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; C438378:BBC3 protein, human; C474007:Bax protein (53-86); D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011506:Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D014415:Tunicamycin; D002118:Calcium