title: Basal cell adhesion molecule is inversely associated with apoptosis, but plays a limited role for protection against apoptotic stimuli.
abstract: Basal cell adhesion molecule (B-CAM) is strongly upregulated in epithelial skin cancer cells in vivo and in vitro. We have tested here whether B-CAM is (1) inversely associated with or (2) functionally involved in apoptosis. Towards this end, B-CAM expression was assessed in HaCaT transfectants overexpressing murine Bcl-2 and untransfected HaCaT cells exposed to various proapoptotic stimuli. In another series of experiments, we overexpressed B-CAM in HaCaT cells and different fibroblast lines, and stimulated various apoptotic pathways in the transfectants and control cells. In addition, apoptosis was assessed after an antibody-mediated B-CAM blockade. We could demonstrate that expression of B-CAM is inversely associated with the susceptibility of cells to apoptosis. However, overexpression or antibody- mediated inhibition of B-CAM had only limited functional effects on cellular apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Rudolf-Virchow Center, DFG Research Center for Experimental Biomedicine, and Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Drewniok
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schön
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Schön
mesh_terms: D000634:Aminoquinolines / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000276:immunology*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D019254:Genes, bcl-2 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D000077271:Imiquimod; D051379:Mice; D015843:Serpins / Q000187:drug effects; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D019311:Staurosporine / Q000494:pharmacology; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000634:Aminoquinolines; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; C530652:SERPINB13 protein, human; C530653:Serpinb13 protein, mouse; D015843:Serpins; D019311:Staurosporine; D000077271:Imiquimod