Keratins modulate c-Flip/extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 antiapoptotic signaling in simple epithelial cells.
Among the large family of intermediate filament proteins, the keratin 8 and 18 (K8/K18) pair constitutes a hallmark for all simple epithelial cells, such as hepatocytes and mammary cells. Functional studies with different cell models have suggested that K8/K18 are involved in simple epithelial cell resistance to several forms of stress that may lead to cell death. We have reported recently that K8/K18-deprived hepatocytes from K8-null mice are more sensitive to Fas-mediated apoptosis. Here we show that upon Fas, tumor necrosis factor alpha receptor, or tumor necrosis factor alpha-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor stimulation, an inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) activation sensitizes wild-type but not K8-null mouse hepatocytes to apoptosis and that a much weaker ERK1/2 activation occurs in K8-null hepatocytes. In turn, this impaired ERK1/2 activation in K8-null hepatocytes is associated with a drastic reduction in c-Flip protein, an event that also holds in a K8-null mouse mammary cell line. c-Flip, along with Raf-1, is part of a K8/K18-immunoisolated complex from wild-type hepatocytes, and Fas stimulation leads to further c-Flip and Raf-1 recruitment in the complex. This points to a new regulatory role of simple epithelium keratins in the c-Flip/ERK1/2 antiapoptotic signaling pathway.
Gilbert
Stéphane
S
Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie et Département de Médecine, Université Laval, and Centre de Recherche de L'Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, Quebec G1R 2J6, Canada.
Loranger
Anne
A
Marceau
Normand
N
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D053446:CASP8 and FADD-Like Apoptosis Regulating Protein; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002460:Cell Line; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D007633:Keratins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000502:physiology*; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D053221:TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism
D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D053446:CASP8 and FADD-Like Apoptosis Regulating Protein; D002352:Carrier Proteins; C506387:Cflar protein, mouse; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D053221:TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand; C505654:Tnfsf10 protein, mouse; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D019014:fas Receptor; D007633:Keratins; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases