title: Regulation of acetylcholinesterase expression by calcium signaling during calcium ionophore A23187- and thapsigargin-induced apoptosis.
abstract: We have recently reported that acetylcholinesterase expression was induced during apoptosis in various cell types. In the current study we provide evidence to suggest that the induction of acetylcholinesterase expression during apoptosis is regulated by the mobilization of intracellular Ca(2+). During apoptosis, treatment of HeLa and MDA-MB-435s cells with the calcium ionophore A23187 resulted in a significant increase in acetylcholinesterase mRNA and protein levels. Chelation of intracellular Ca(2+) by BAPTA-AM (1,2-bis-(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid-acetoxymethyl ester), an intracellular Ca(2+) chelator, inhibited acetylcholinesterase expression. A23187 also enhanced the stability of acetylcholinesterase mRNA and increased the activity of acetylcholinesterase promoter, effects that were blocked by BAPTA-AM. Perturbations of cellular Ca(2+) homeostasis by thapsigargin resulted in the increase of acetylcholinesterase expression as well as acetylcholinesterase promoter activity during thapsigargin induced apoptosis in HeLa and MDA-MB-435s cells, effects that were also inhibited by BAPTA-AM. We further demonstrated that the transactivation of the human acetylcholinesterase promoter by A23187 and thapsigargin was partially mediated by a CCAAT motif within the -1270 to -1248 fragment of the human acetylcholinesterase promoter. This motif was able to bind to CCAAT binding factor (CBF/NF-Y). These results strongly suggest that cytosolic Ca(2+) plays a key role in acetylcholinesterase regulation during apoptosis induced by A23187 and thapsigargin.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 YueYang Road, Shanghai 200031, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Qi-Huang
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Yu-Fang
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Karl W K
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Tsim
authors.forename: Xue-Jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D023081:CCAAT-Binding Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D000001:Calcimycin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D004533:Egtazic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007476:Ionophores / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D019284:Thapsigargin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D023081:CCAAT-Binding Factor; D002614:Chelating Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007476:Ionophores; D000001:Calcimycin; D004533:Egtazic Acid; D019284:Thapsigargin; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; C025603:1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid; D002118:Calcium