title: Activation of cAMP-guanine exchange factor confers PKA-independent protection from hepatocyte apoptosis.
abstract: cAMP has previously been shown to promote cell survival in a variety of cell types, but the downstream signaling pathway(s) of this antiapoptotic effect is unclear. Thus the role of cAMP signaling through PKA and cAMP-regulated guanine nucleotide exchange factors (cAMP-GEFs) in cAMP's antiapoptotic action was investigated in the present study. cAMP's protective effect against bile acid-, Fas ligand-, and TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis in rat hepatocytes was largely unaffected by the selective PKA inhibitor, Rp-8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cAMP (Rp-cAMP). In contrast, a novel cAMP analog, 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-2'-O-methyl (CPT-2-Me)-cAMP, which activated cAMP-GEFs in hepatocytes without activating PKA, protected hepatocytes against apoptosis induced by bile acids, Fas ligand, and TNF-alpha. The role of cAMP-GEF and PKA on activation of Akt, a kinase implicated in cAMP survival signaling, was investigated. Inhibition of PKA with RP-cAMP had no effect on cAMP-mediated Akt phosphorylation, whereas CPT-2-Me-cAMP, which did not activate PKA, induced phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase)-dependent activation of Akt. Pretreatment of hepatocytes with the PI3-kinase inhibitor, Ly-294002, prevented CPT-2-Me-cAMP's protective effect against bile acid and Fas ligand, but not TNF-alpha-mediated apoptosis. Glucagon, CPT-cAMP, and CPT-2-Me-cAMP all activated Rap 1, a downstream effector of cAMP-GEF. These results suggest that a PKA-independent cAMP/cAMP-GEF/Rap pathway exists in hepatocytes and that activation of cAMP-GEFs promotes Akt phosphorylation and hepatocyte survival. Thus a cAMP/cAMP-GEF/Rap/PI3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway may confer protection against bile acid- and Fas-induced apoptosis in hepatocytes.
authors.affiliation: Tufts Univ. School of Veterinary Medicine, 200 Westboro Rd., Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
authors.forename: Kimberly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Cullen
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McCool
authors.forename: M Sawkat
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Anwer
authors.forename: Cynthia R L
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Webster
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000502:physiology*; D019610:Cytoprotection; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors / Q000502:physiology*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013873:Thionucleotides / Q000494:pharmacology; D020827:rap1 GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D013873:Thionucleotides; D020827:rap1 GTP-Binding Proteins; C488718:2'-O-methyl-8-(4-chlorophenylthio)cAMP; C494920:Akt1 protein, rat