Rusticyanin, a bacterial electron transfer protein, causes G1 arrest in J774 and apoptosis in human cancer cells.
During acid mine drainage, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, a nonpathogenic, acidophilic, lithotrophic bacterium, utilizes rusticyanin to transfer electrons for the oxidation of Fe(2+) to Fe(3+) for deriving its energy. No other function of rusticyanin is known. We demonstrate that purified rusticyanin enters mammalian cells inducing either inhibition of cell cycle progression or caspase-8 mediated apoptosis. Treatment of human melanoma cells with rusticyanin allowed significant generation of reactive oxygen species and active caspase-8, leading to cell death. The ability of rusticyanin to modulate mammalian cell death might be relevant to a role of this cupredoxin in protecting At. ferrooxidans from eukaryotic predators in the environment.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA.
Tohru
T
Yamada
Yoshinori
Y
Hiraoka
Tapas K
TK
Das Gupta
Ananda M
AM
Chakrabarty
D042763:Acidithiobacillus / Q000378:metabolism; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D001400:Azurin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D053181:Caspase 8; D020169:Caspases / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D016193:G1 Phase / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018816:Genes, cdc / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C012543:rusticyanin; D001400:Azurin; C505530:CASP8 protein, human; D053181:Caspase 8; D020169:Caspases