title: Early single cell bifurcation of pro- and antiapoptotic states during oxidative stress.
abstract: In a population of cells undergoing oxidative stress, an individual cell either succumbs to apoptotic cell death or maintains homeostasis and survives. Exposure of PC-12-D(2)R cells to 200 microm hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) induces apoptosis in about half of cells after 24 h. After 1-h exposure to 200 microm H(2)O(2), both antiapoptotic extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation and pro-apoptotic Ser-15-p53 phosphorylation are observed. Microarray and real-time PCR assays of gene expression after H(2)O(2) exposure identified several transcripts, including egr1, that are rapidly induced downstream of ERK. Single cell analysis of egr1 induction and of phospho-ERK and phospho-p53 formation revealed the presence of two distinct cellular programs. Whereas the proportion of cells activating ERK versus p53 at 1 h depended on H(2)O(2) concentration, individual cells showed exclusively either phospho-p53 formation or activation of ERK and egr1 induction. Exposure to H(2)O(2) for 1 h also elicited these two non-overlapping cellular responses in both dopaminergic SN4741 cells and differentiated postmitotic PC-12-D(2)R cells. Repressing p53 with pifithrin-alpha or small interfering RNA increased ERK phosphorylation by H(2)O(2), indicating that p53-dependent suppression of ERK activity may contribute to the bi-stable single cell responses observed. By 24 h, the subset of cells in which ERK activity was suppressed exhibit caspase 3 activation and the nuclear condensation characteristic of apoptosis. These studies suggest that the individual cell rapidly and stochastically processes the oxidative stress stimulus, leading to an all-or-none cytoprotective or pro-apoptotic signaling response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029, USA.
authors.forename: Venugopalan D
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yuen
authors.forename: C Warren
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Olanow
authors.forename: Stuart C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Sealfon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000633:toxicity; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D016716:PC12 Cells; D010766:Phosphorylation; D012313:RNA / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D014157:Transcription Factors; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D012313:RNA; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases