title: Tissue transglutaminase (TG2) acting as G protein protects hepatocytes against Fas-mediated cell death in mice.
abstract: Tissue transglutaminase (TG2) is a protein cross-linking enzyme known to be expressed by hepatocytes and to be induced during the in vivo hepatic apoptosis program. TG2 is also a G protein that mediates intracellular signaling by the alpha-1b-adrenergic receptor (AR) in liver cells. Fas/Fas ligand interaction plays a crucial role in various liver diseases, and administration of agonistic anti-Fas antibodies to mice causes both disseminated endothelial cell apoptosis and fulminant hepatic failure. Here we report that an intraperitoneal dose of anti-Fas antibodies, which is sublethal for wild-type mice, kills all the TG2 knock-out mice within 20 hours. Although TG2-/- thymocytes exposed to anti-Fas antibodies die at the same rate as wild-type mice, TG2-/- hepatocytes show increased sensitivity toward anti-Fas treatment both in vivo and in vitro, with no change in their cell surface expression of Fas, levels of FLIP(L) (FLICE-inhibitory protein), or the rate of I-kappaBalpha degradation, but a decrease in the Bcl-xL expression. We provide evidence that this is the consequence of the impaired AR signaling that normally regulates the levels of Bcl-xL in the liver. In conclusion, our data suggest the involvement of adrenergic signaling pathways in the hepatic regeneration program, in which Fas ligand-induced hepatocyte proliferation with a simultaneous inhibition of the Fas-death pathway plays a determinant role.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Signaling and Apoptosis Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Research Center of Molecular Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.
authors.forename: Zsolt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sarang
authors.forename: Péter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Molnár
authors.forename: Tamás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Németh
authors.forename: Szabolcs
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gomba
authors.forename: Tamás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kardon
authors.forename: Gerry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Melino
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cotecchia
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fésüs
authors.forename: Zsuzsa
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Szondy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D016923:Cell Death; D002455:Cell Division; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D008115:Liver Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D000091345:Protein Glutamine gamma Glutamyltransferase 2; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D011503:Transglutaminases / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D019014:fas Receptor; D000091345:Protein Glutamine gamma Glutamyltransferase 2; D011503:Transglutaminases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins