title: Nicotine induces multi-site phosphorylation of Bad in association with suppression of apoptosis.
abstract: Nicotine is an important component in cigarette smoke that can activate the growth-promoting pathways to facilitate the development of lung cancer. However, the intracellular mechanism(s) by which nicotine promotes survival of lung cancer cells remains enigmatic. Bad is a proapoptotic BH3-only member of the Bcl2 family and is expressed in both small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer cells. Here we report that nicotine potently induces Bad phosphorylation at Ser112, Ser136, and Ser155 in a mechanism involving activation of MAPKs ERK1/2, PI3K/AKT, and PKA in human lung cancer cells. Nicotine-induced multi-site phosphorylation of Bad results in sequestering Bad from mitochondria and subsequently interacting with 14-3-3 in the cytosol. Treatment of cells with PKC inhibitor (staurosporine), MEK-specific inhibitor (PD98059), PI3 kinase inhibitor (LY294002), or PKA inhibitor (H89) blocks the nicotine-induced Bad phosphorylation that is associated with enhanced apoptotic cell death. The fact that beta-adrenergic receptor inhibitor (propranolol) blocks nicotine-induced activation of ERK1/2, AKT, PKA, Bad phosphorylation, and cell survival suggests that nicotine-induced Bad phosphorylation may occur through the upstream beta-adrenergic receptors. The fact that specific knockdown of Bad expression by RNA interference using short interfering RNA enhances cell survival and that nicotine has no additional survival effect on these cells suggests that Bad may act as a required target of nicotine. Thus, nicotine-induced survival may occur in a mechanism through multi-site phosphorylation of Bad, which may lead to development of human lung cancer and/or chemoresistance.
authors.affiliation: Shands Cancer Center and Department of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610-0232, USA.
authors.forename: Zhaohui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Fengqin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Tammy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Flagg
authors.forename: Xingming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Deng
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D051025:bcl-Associated Death Protein
chemical_list: C494819:BAD protein, human; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051025:bcl-Associated Death Protein; D009538:Nicotine