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Advances in Brief |
Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305-5302 [S. S. W., J. N. F., M. G., J. W., S. J. K.], and Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of California at Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, California 95817 [A. A. R.]
| ABSTRACT |
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| Introduction |
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CCE is the specific gating of Ca2+ entry across the plasma membrane in response to depletion of intracellular stores during Ca2+ signaling and can be triggered by Tg, an irreversible inhibitor of the ER Ca2+-ATPase (4) . CCE is essential for maintaining [Ca2+]i homeostasis and may therefore be an important regulator of the induction and execution phases of apoptosis, both of which contain Ca2+-dependent components. The results of the experiments described here demonstrate that Bcl-2 overexpression is associated with enhanced CCE, further demonstrating the importance of CCE in the maintenance of cell viability and providing insight into the antiapoptotic effect of Bcl-2.
| Materials and Methods |
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Measurement of Apoptosis.
Flow cytometry was used to determine the
sub-G1-G0 fraction in fixed
cells stained with propidium iodide as described previously
(6)
. Fixed cells were stored at 4°C until they were
stained and analyzed on a FACStar flow cytometer (Becton Dickinson, San
Jose, CA).
Measurement of [Ca2+]i.
Parental cells or Bcl-2-overexpressing HL60, PW, and Jurkat cells were
loaded with fura-2/AM (2.5 µM) in HBSS containing
0.5% BSA at 7.09.0 x 105
cells/ml for 45 min. at 37°C. Cells were washed and resuspended in
HBSS/BSA containing 225 nM sulfinpyrazone. Final
resuspension buffers also contained SKF-96365 at 1040
µM or ouabain at 50 µM as indicated.
[Ca2+]i was measured
after stimulation with Tg (400 nM) using a
Hitachi F2000 fluorescence spectrophotometer with dual excitation of
fura-2/AM at 340 and 380 nm and detection of fluorescent emissions at
500 nm. [Ca2+]i was
calculated using the ratio of fluorescence at 340 nm:fluorescence at
380 nm with Ca2+ analysis software (Hitachi
Instruments, Tokyo, Japan), using the method described by Hitachi. For
specific measurement of Ca2+ influx, the final
wash and resuspension was done in calcium- and magnesium-free HBSS/BSA,
and extracellular Ca2+ (2
mM CaCl2) was added 45 s after stimulation with Tg. Cells were incubated in
Ca2+-free media for 1030 min before analysis.
The resultant rise in
[Ca2+]i was indicative
of CCE (7)
. In prior studies, vector-transfected control
cells did not differ significantly from parental cells in any of the
measured end points studied.
| Results |
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| Discussion |
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Recent data also suggest that normal
[Ca2+]i homeostasis plays a
fundamental role in both the generation and execution of the apoptotic
pathway. For example, Ca2+ is required for
endonuclease activity that results in DNA fragmentation, and
alterations in mitochondrial Ca2+ homeostasis
result in membrane depolarization, cytochrome c release, and
caspase activation. Depletion of the ER Ca2+
stores appears to be an important apoptotic signal. Interestingly,
others have reported that Bcl-2-overexpressing cells retain higher
intralumenal Ca2+ levels than control cells,
making Ca2+ store depletion more difficult.
Increased retention of ER Ca2+ by
Bcl-2-overexpressing cells may be due to overexpression of
Ca2+-ATPase, the Ca2+ pump
that sequesters Ca2+ in the ER (10)
.
These findings, however, fail to explain the results presented in Fig. 1
, in which cells incubated in Ca2+-free media
are depleted of intracellular Ca2+ stores as indicated by
the failure of Tg to elicit an immediate Ca2+
release. In the presence of Tg, addition of Ca2+
to the media resulted in the rapid accumulation of
Ca2+ in the cytosol. Because Tg inhibits
Ca2+-ATPase, refilling of the ER stores is not
possible. Therefore, the rise in
[Ca2+]i observed after
the addition of Ca2+ to the media is a reflection
of CCE across the plasma membrane that is independent of ER
Ca2+-ATPase function. Both the magnitude and rate
of CCE were greater in cells overexpressing Bcl-2 as compared with
parental control cells. This observation is further substantiated by
the relative insensitivity of Bcl-2-overexpressing cells to SKF-96365
(Fig. 2
).
It is notable that the baseline
[Ca2+]i response to Tg
in Fig. 2
is somewhat reduced in Bcl-2 transfectants as compared with
similarly treated control cells. This observation is in agreement with
the findings of Lam et al. (11)
, who reported
that Bcl-2 was associated with reduced efflux of
Ca2+ from Tg-sensitive ER stores. They suggested
that it was possible that inhibition of ER Ca2+
store depletion may interfere with the signal to trigger CCE and
thereby result in reduced Ca2+ influx. This
interpretation leads to an apparent discrepancy in comparison to our
findings, which can be explained by differences in the experimental
technique used. We analyzed cells that had been incubated in
Ca2+-free media before the addition of
Ca2+ at a specified time point. This resulted in
a more specific measurement of Ca2+ influx and
revealed enhanced CCE in Bcl-2-transfected cells (Fig. 1
). The results
presented here as well as the observation by Lam et al.
(11)
that Bcl-2 transfectants have enhanced uptake of
Ca2+ into the ER support the hypothesis that the
antiapoptotic effect of Bcl-2 is closely associated with alterations in
Ca2+ homeostasis that protect intracellular
Ca2+ stores (i.e., enhanced CCE, reduced
depletion of ER Ca2+ stores, and a greater
ability to refill these stores).
The importance of CCE in maintaining cell viability is seen in the
induction of apoptosis by SKF-96365 in HL60 cells (Fig. 3
). These
results are consistent with those of others who observed that SKF-96365
induced DNA fragmentation in Syrian hamster embryo cells
(12)
. Whereas SKF-96365 has activity on
voltage-gated ion channels in excitable cells, it has been widely used
and accepted as an inhibitor of CCE in nonexcitable cell types
(12, 13, 14)
. Nevertheless, at higher concentrations,
SKF-96365 may have other, less well understood effects and should be
used with caution (15
, 16)
. The observation that
Bcl-2-overexpressing cells are resistant to SKF-96365-induced
apoptosis is novel and adds support to the idea that the
protective effect of Bcl-2 is related to its modulation of
Ca2+ homeostasis. This hypothesis is further
supported by the observation of He et al. (9)
that the antiapoptotic effect of Bcl-2 is lost at low concentrations of
extracellular Ca2+, further suggesting that an adequate
supply of extracellular Ca2+ is required for the
antiapoptotic function of Bcl-2.
Our findings, as well as those reported by others, suggest that gating of ions across the plasma membrane is critically important to the regulation of apoptosis. Killoran and Walleczek (17) have recently shown that CCE levels are suppressed within minutes after irradiating Jurkat cells and normal human peripheral blood leukocytes with 10 Gy, further emphasizing the importance of CCE in maintaining cell viability. In addition, others have established a fundamental role for K+ ions in apoptosis (18) . Cell shrinkage, which is a very early event in the apoptotic process, can only occur after K+ efflux. Normal intracellular levels of K+ inhibit both apoptotic DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 protease activation, suggesting that intracellular K+ loss must occur early during apoptosis. In addition, there seems to be a tight coupling between cell shrinkage, K+ efflux, and changes in mitochondrial membrane potential that are independent of DNA degradation and can be largely caspase independent, depending on the particular signal transduction pathway used. Therefore, the control of K+ gating across the plasma membrane may play an integral role in the initiation of signal transduction pathways involved in apoptosis. We have reported previously that Bcl-2 overexpression is associated with a higher level of Na+/K+-ATPase activity, which could block the loss of K+ from the cell via either (a) compensation for K+ loss by pumping more K+ back into the cell or (b) establishment of a hyperpolarized membrane potential that would inhibit K+ efflux.
It is known that the influx of Ca2+ across the
plasma membrane is facilitated by hyperpolarization (19)
and inhibited by depolarization (20)
, suggesting that the
plasma membrane potential plays a crucial role in
[Ca2+]i homeostasis.
Therefore, plasma membrane hyperpolarization, by providing an
electrochemical gradient that favors Ca2+ influx,
may also help to explain the up-regulation of CCE in
Bcl-2-overexpressing cells. Evidence for this is presented in Fig. 4
,
where plasma membrane depolarization by ouabain, an inhibitor of
Na+/K+-ATPase, resulted in
a marked reduction in the influx of extracellular Ca2+ in
both parental and Bcl-2-overexpressing cells.
The results reported here show that Bcl-2 overexpression is associated with enhanced CCE, a process that is essential for Ca2+ store refilling and cell viability. The previously reported increased Na+/K+-ATPase activity and resultant plasma membrane hyperpolarization associated with Bcl-2 may provide a mechanism of action to explain the observed enhancement in CCE. These data further establish the plasma membrane as a regulator of early signaling events in apoptotic pathways, particularly in the control of the intracellular ionic environment. These results suggest that altered membrane potential, Na+/K+-ATPase activity, and/or CCE may be important mediators of the enhanced radioresistance of Bcl-2-overexpressing tumor cells and have implications for the development of novel strategies for sensitizing these cells to radiation therapy.
| FOOTNOTES |
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1 Supported in part by National Cancer Institute
Contract Grant CA68149. ![]()
2 To whom requests for reprints should be
addressed, at Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University
School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA 94305-5302. Phone:
(650) 723-5832; Fax: (650) 725-8231; E-mail: knox{at}reyes.stanford.edu ![]()
3 The abbreviations used are:
[Ca2+]i, intracellular calcium
concentration; CCE, capacitative Ca2+ entry; Tg,
thapsigargin; ER, endoplasmic reticulum. ![]()
Received 2/21/00. Accepted 6/29/00.
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