Masayuki Igarashi

Ectodomain shedding of TNF receptor 1 induced by protein synthesis inhibitors regulates TNF-α-mediated activation of NF-κB and caspase-8

The transcription factor nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) plays a major role in the inducible resistance to death receptor-mediated apoptosis. It has been established that the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (CHX) sensitizes many types of cells to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-induced apoptosis, mainly due to its ability to block de novo synthesis of cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP). Nevertheless, we have surprisingly found that CHX, as well as its structural analogue acetoxycycloheximide (Ac-CHX), prevents TNF-alpha-mediated activation of NF-kappaB and caspase-8 in human lung carcinoma A549 cells. Both CHX and Ac-CHX reduced the expression of cell surface TNF receptor 1 (TNF-R1) in a dose-dependent manner, while Ac-CHX was approximately 100-fold more effective than CHX. Consistent with this observation, Ac-CHX induced the proteolytic cleavage of TNF-R1 and its release into the culture medium. CHX and Ac-CHX profoundly decreased constitutive and inducible expression of c-FLIP, whereas these compounds potentiated TNF-alpha-induced caspase-8 activation only when metalloprotease inhibitors were present. Thus, our results indicate that ectodomain shedding of TNF-R1 induced by protein synthesis inhibitors regulates TNF-alpha-mediated activation of NF-kappaB and caspase-8.

ERK and p38 MAP kinase are involved in downregulation of cell surface TNF receptor 1 induced by acetoxycycloheximide

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha activates the nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) signaling pathway. The protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (CHX) and its structural derivative acetoxycycloheximide (Ac-CHX) have been recently shown to block the TNF-alpha-induced activation of NF-kappaB via ectodomain shedding of TNF receptor 1 (TNF-R1) in human lung carcinoma A549 cells. In this study, we show that ERK and p38 MAP kinase are involved in the downregulation of cell surface TNF-R1 upon exposure to Ac-CHX and the subsequent inhibition of TNF-alpha-induced NF-kappaB activation. Ac-CHX was capable of promoting the sustained activation of ERK, JNK, and p38 MAP kinase. Treatment with the MEK inhibitor U0126 and the p38 MAP kinase inhibitor SB203580, but not the JNK inhibitor SP600125, reversed the diminished expression of cell surface TNF-R1 as well as the blockade of TNF-alpha-induced IkappaBalpha degradation in Ac-CHX-treated cells. Our results indicate that Ac-CHX triggers the downregulation of cell surface TNF-R1 via the activation of ERK and p38 MAP kinase, thereby preventing activation of the NF-kappaB signaling pathway by TNF-alpha.

Caspase-8 mediates mitochondrial release of pro-apoptotic proteins in a manner independent of its proteolytic activity in apoptosis induced by the protein synthesis inhibitor acetoxycycloheximide in human leukemia Jurkat cells.

The cysteine protease caspase-8 plays an essential role in apoptosis induced by death receptors. The protein synthesis inhibitor acetoxycycloheximide (Ac-CHX) has been previously shown to induce rapid apoptosis mediated by the release of cytochrome c in human leukemia Jurkat cells. In this study, the novel molecular mechanism that links caspase-8 to the mitochondrial release of pro-apoptotic proteins has been identified. Jurkat cells deficient in caspase-8 were more resistant to Ac-CHX than wild-type Jurkat cells and manifested decreased apoptosis induction and caspase activation as well as inefficient release of cytochrome c, Smac/DIABLO, and AIF into the cytosol. In contrast to Fas ligand stimulation, the general caspase inhibitor barely prevented the mitochondrial release of these pro-apoptotic proteins in Ac-CHX-treated cells, suggesting that caspase-8 activity is dispensable for triggering the mitochondrial pathway in Ac-CHX-induced apoptosis. Consistent with this notion, caspase-8-deficient Jurkat cells reconstituted with catalytically inactive caspase-8 became sensitive to Ac-CHX and exhibited apoptosis, caspase activation, the liberation of pro-apoptotic proteins into the cytosol, and Bak conformational change as efficiently as wild-type Jurkat cells. Unlike caspase-3, -6, -7, and -9, a small but significant portion of caspase-8 was found to localize in mitochondria before and after exposure to Ac-CHX. These results clearly demonstrate that caspase-8 is able to mediate the mitochondrial release of pro-apoptotic proteins in a manner independent of its proteolytic activity in Ac-CHX-induced apoptosis.

Identification of a chemical inhibitor for nuclear speckle formation: Implications for the function of nuclear speckles in regulation of alternative pre-mRNA splicing

Nuclear speckles are subnuclear structures enriched with RNA processing factors and poly (A)(+) RNAs comprising mRNAs and poly (A)(+) non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Nuclear speckles are thought to be involved in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, such as pre-mRNA splicing. By screening 3585 culture extracts of actinomycetes with in situ hybridization using an oligo dT probe, we identified tubercidin, an analogue of adenosine, as an inhibitor of speckle formation, which induces the delocalization of poly (A)(+) RNA and dispersion of splicing factor SRSF1/SF2 from nuclear speckles in HeLa cells. Treatment with tubercidin also decreased steady-state MALAT1 long ncRNA, thought to be involved in the retention of SRSF1/SF2 in nuclear speckles. In addition, we found that tubercidin treatment promoted exon skipping in the alternative splicing of Clk1 pre-mRNA. These results suggest that nuclear speckles play a role in modulating the concentration of splicing factors in the nucleoplasm to regulate alternative pre-mRNA splicing.

Visual Screening for the Natural Compounds That Affect the Formation of Nuclear Structures

In eukaryotic cells, there are two major compartments separated by the nuclear membrane: the nucleus, where transcription and replication of DNA occur, and the cytoplasm, where translation of mRNAs to proteins occurs. Interestingly, the interphase nucleus is further divided into a dozen subnuclear compartments, such as nucleoli, speckles, Cajal bodies, paraspeckles, promyelocytic leukemia (PML) bodies, and gems (for gemini of Cajal bodies) (Fig. 1) [1].