title: p53-independent early and late apoptosis is mediated by ceramide after exposure of tumor cells to photon or carbon ion irradiation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To determine whether ceramide is responsible for the induction of p53-independent early or late apoptosis in response to high- and low-Linear-Energy-Transfer (LET) irradiation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four cell lines displaying different radiosensitivities and p53-protein status were irradiated with photons or 33.4 or 184 keV/μm carbon ions. The kinetics of ceramide production was quantified by fluorescent microscopy or High-Performance-Liquid-Chromatogaphy and the sequence of events leading to apoptosis by flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regardless of the p53-status, both low and high-LET irradiation induced an early ceramide production in radiosensitive cells and late in the radioresistant. This production strongly correlated with the level of early apoptosis in radiosensitive cells and delayed apoptosis in the radioresistant ones, regardless of radiation quality, tumor type, radiosensitivity, or p53-status. Inhibition of caspase activity or ceramide production showed that, for both types of radiation, ceramide is essential for the initiation of early apoptosis in radiosensitive cells and late apoptosis following mitotic catastrophe in radioresistant cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ceramide is a determining factor in the onset of early and late apoptosis after low and high-LET irradiation and is the mediator of the p53-independent-apoptotic pathway. We propose that ceramide is the molecular bridge between mitotic catastrophe and the commitment phase of delayed apoptosis in response to irradiation.
authors.affiliation: Université de Lyon, Lyon F-69622, France.
authors.forename: Gersende
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Alphonse
authors.forename: Mira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maalouf
authors.forename: Priscillia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Battiston-Montagne
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ardail
authors.forename: Michaël
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beuve
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rousson
authors.forename: Gisela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Taucher-Scholz
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fournier
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Lafrasse
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002244:Carbon; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002518:Ceramides / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects; D017785:Photons; D011839:Radiation, Ionizing; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D002518:Ceramides; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D002244:Carbon; D020169:Caspases