Apoptosis in insulin-secreting cells. Evidence for the role of intracellular Ca2+ stores and arachidonic acid metabolism

Use of Microarray Analysis to Unveil Transcription Factor and Gene Networks Contributing to β Cell Dysfunction and Apoptosis

The beta cell fate following immune-mediated damage depends on an intricate pattern of dozens of genes up- or downregulated in parallel and/or sequentially. We are utilizing microarray analysis to clarify the pattern of gene expression in primary rat beta cells exposed to the proapoptotic cytokines, IL-1beta and/or IFN-gamma. The picture emerging from these experiments is that beta cells are not passive bystanders of their own destruction. On the contrary, beta cells respond to damage by activating diverse networks of transcription factors and genes that may either lead to apoptosis or preserve viability. Of note, cytokine-exposed beta cells produce and release chemokines that may contribute to the homing and activation of T cells and macrophages during insulitis. Several of the effects of cytokines depend on the activation of the transcription factor, NF-kappaB. NF-kappaB blocking prevents cytokine-induced beta cell death, and characterization of NF-kappaB-dependent genes by microarray analysis indicated that this transcription factor controls diverse networks of transcription factors and effector genes that are relevant for maintenance of beta cell differentiated status, cytosolic and ER calcium homeostasis, attraction of mononuclear cells, and apoptosis. Identification of this and additional "transcription factor networks" is being pursued by cluster analysis of gene expression in insulin-producing cells exposed to cytokines for different time periods. Identification of complex gene patterns poses a formidable challenge, but is now technically feasible. These accumulating evidences may finally unveil the molecular mechanisms regulating the beta cell "decision" to undergo or not apoptosis in early T1DM.

Endoplasmic reticulum: a primary target in various acute disorders and degenerative diseases of the brain

Changes in neuronal calcium activity in the various subcellular compartments have divergent effects on affected cells. In the cytoplasm and mitochondria, where calcium activity is normally low, a prolonged excessive rise in free calcium levels is believed to be toxic, in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), in contrast, calcium activity is relatively high and severe stress is caused by a depletion of ER calcium stores. Besides its role in cellular calcium signaling, the ER is the site where membrane and secretory proteins are folded and processed. These calcium-dependent processes are fundamental to normal cell functioning. Under conditions of ER dysfunction unfolded proteins accumulate in the ER lumen, a signal responsible for activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) and the ER-associated degradation (ERAD). UPR is characterized by activation of two ER-resident kinases, PKR-like ER kinase (PERK) and IRE1. PERK induces phosphorylation of the eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF2alpha), resulting in a shut-down of translation at the initiation step. This stress response is needed to block new synthesis of proteins that cannot be correctly folded, and thus to protect cells from the effect of unfolded proteins which tend to form toxic aggregates. IRE1, on the other hand, is turned after activation into an endonuclease that cuts out a sequence of 26 bases from the coding region of xbp1 mRNA. Processed xbp1 mRNA is translated into the respective protein, an active transcription factor specific for ER stress genes such as grp78. In acute disorders and degenerative diseases, the ER calcium pool is a primary target of toxic metabolites or intermediates, such as oxygen free radicals, produced during the pathological process. Affected neurons need to activate the entire UPR to cope with the severe form of stress induced by ER dysfunction. This stress response is however hindered under conditions where protein synthesis is suppressed to such an extent that processed xbp1 mRNA is not translated into the processed XBP1 protein (XBP1(proc)). Furthermore, activation of ERAD is important for the degradation of unfolded proteins through the ubiquitin/proteasomal pathway, which is impaired in acute disorders and degenerative diseases, resulting in further ER stress. ER functioning is thus impaired in two different ways: first by the direct action of toxic intermediates, produced in the course of the pathological process, hindering vital ER reactions, and second by the inability of cells to fully activate UPR and ERAD, leaving them unable to withstand the severe form of stress induced by ER dysfunction.

Pancreatic-derived factor (FAM3B), a novel islet cytokine, induces apoptosis of insulin-secreting beta-cells

PANDER (PANcreatic DERived factor, FAM3B), a newly discovered secreted cytokine, is specifically expressed at high levels in the islets of Langerhans of the endocrine pancreas. To evaluate the role of PANDER in beta-cell function, we investigated the effects of PANDER on rat, mouse, and human pancreatic islets; the beta-TC3 cell line; and the alpha-TC cell line. PANDER protein was present in alpha- and beta-cells of pancreatic islets, insulin-secreting beta-TC3 cells, and glucagon-secreting alpha-TC cells. PANDER induced islet cell death in rat and human islets. Culture of beta-TC3 cells with recombinant PANDER had a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on cell viability. This effect was also time-dependent. PANDER caused apoptosis of beta-cells as assessed by electron microscopy, annexin V fluorescent staining, and flow-cytometric terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assay. PANDER did not affect cytosolic Ca(2+) levels or nitric oxide levels. However, PANDER activated caspase-3. Hence, PANDER may have a role in the process of pancreatic beta-cell apoptosis.

Evidence that increased 12-lipoxygenase expression impairs pancreatic beta cell function and viability

Leukocyte type 12-lipoxygenase (12-LO) is an enzyme specifically expressed in the beta cells of the pancreas. 12-LO oxidizes fatty acids such as arachidonic acid and linoleic acids to their respective hydroperoxides. Increased concentration of lipid hydroperoxides causes oxidative stress and this could lead to cellular dysfunction. Increased expression of 12-LO in beta cells has been observed with use of inflammatory cytokines and during the prediabetic phase of beta cell dysfunction in the Zucker diabetic fatty rat model. Also mice deficient in 12-LO expression show a decreased incidence of immune-mediated diabetes. To further understand the role of 12-LO in beta cell metabolism, we over-expressed mouse leukocyte type 12-LO in INS-1 cells (transformed rat beta cell line) using an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector system. In 12-LO over-expressing cells, cell-associated 12-HETE levels increased approximately 5- and approximately 3-fold in the culture supernatant. In the cells over-expressing 12-LO, glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) decreased by 25-30% one hour after exposure to high glucose (15mM). By 2h, GSIS decreased by 50-54% at high glucose levels. These data suggest that increased 12-LO products can reduce the synthesis, processing or secretion of insulin in beta cells. We next examined the effect of 12-LO over-expression on mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) by Western blot analyses using antibodies specific for different phospho-MAP kinases. Over-expression of 12-LO led to an activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase while it markedly reduced Erk1 and 2 phosphorylation (4-fold). Further, over-expression of 12-LO led to induction of apoptosis in beta cells as determined by DNA ladder assay. These results suggest that increased 12-LO plays a key role in altering beta cell metabolism. Thus, increased 12-LO expression can have a detrimental effect on pancreatic beta cell function and viability, suggesting that blockade of 12-LO activity or expression could provide a novel way to protect beta cells from inflammatory injury.

Inflammatory mediators and islet beta-cell failure: a link between type 1 and type 2 diabetes

Pancreatic islet beta-cell death occurs in type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus, leading to absolute or relative insulin deficiency. beta-cell death in type 1 diabetes is due predominantly to autoimmunity. In type 2 diabetes beta-cell death occurs as the combined consequence of increased circulating glucose and saturated fatty acids together with adipocyte secreted factors and chronic activation of the innate immune system. In both diabetes types intra-islet inflammatory mediators seem to trigger a final common pathway leading to beta-cell apoptosis. Therefore anti-inflammatory therapeutic approaches designed to block beta-cell apoptosis could be a significant new development in type 1 and 2 diabetes.

Human, nonhuman primate, and rat pancreatic islets express erythropoietin receptors

BACKGROUND

Erythropoietin (EPO) promotes survival in a variety of cells by mediating antiapoptotic signals through the EPO receptor (R). The authors examined pancreatic islets for the presence of EPO-R to determine whether these cells are protected by EPO from cytokine-induced apoptosis.

METHODS

Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, immunohistology, and Western blots were used to establish the presence and localization of EPO-R on rat, nonhuman primate, and human islets. Islets were exposed to cytokines in the presence and absence of recombinant EPO and apoptosis was measured using a terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assay followed by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. Glucose stimulation indices were measured to assess the effect of EPO on islet function.

RESULTS

The presence of EPO-R was demonstrated on islets regardless of species. Recombinant EPO protected islets in culture from cytokine-induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the presence of EPO in the media does not adversely affect islet function.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first demonstration that pancreatic islets express EPO-R and that EPO may prevent islet-cell apoptosis in culture. In vivo trials to evaluate the potential of long-term expression of EPO to augment islet survival in transplantation are underway.

Increased islet apoptosis in Pdx1+/- mice

Mice with 50% Pdx1, a homeobox gene critical for pancreatic development, had worsening glucose tolerance with age and reduced insulin release in response to glucose, KCl, and arginine from the perfused pancreas. Surprisingly, insulin secretion in perifusion or static incubation experiments in response to glucose and other secretagogues was similar in islets isolated from Pdx1(+/-) mice compared with Pdx1(+/+) littermate controls. Glucose sensing and islet Ca(2+) responses were also normal. Depolarization-evoked exocytosis and Ca(2+) currents in single Pdx1(+/-) cells were not different from controls, arguing against a ubiquitous beta cell stimulus-secretion coupling defect. However, isolated Pdx1(+/-) islets and dispersed beta cells were significantly more susceptible to apoptosis at basal glucose concentrations than Pdx1(+/+) islets. Bcl(XL) and Bcl-2 expression were reduced in Pdx1(+/-) islets. In vivo, increased apoptosis was associated with abnormal islet architecture, positive TUNEL, active caspase-3, and lymphocyte infiltration. Although similar in young mice, both beta cell mass and islet number failed to increase with age and were approximately 50% less than controls by one year. These results suggest that an increase in apoptosis, with abnormal regulation of islet number and beta cell mass, represents a key mechanism whereby partial PDX1 deficiency leads to an organ-level defect in insulin secretion and diabetes.

Changes in intracellular sodium, potassium, and calcium concentrations in transplanted mouse pancreatic islets

BACKGROUND

Our previous studies have suggested a chronically low oxygen tension in transplanted pancreatic islets. The present study tested the hypothesis that this may be coupled to changes in intracellular concentrations of crucial ions within the transplanted islet cells and, thus, their function.

METHODS

X-ray microanalysis was used for studies of native islet cells and islet grafts residing for 1 day or 1 month in nondiabetic or diabetic recipients.

RESULTS

Markedly increased sodium concentrations and decreased potassium concentrations were recorded in all transplanted islet cells, irrespective of whether the grafts had been implanted into nondiabetic or diabetic recipients or whether they were investigated 1 day or 1 month after transplantation. The calcium concentration in 1-day-old islet grafts was similar to that in native islet cells, but it decreased markedly between 1 day and 1 month after transplantation. Again this was seen in both nondiabetic and diabetic recipients.

CONCLUSIONS

Most probably, the disturbances in graft sodium and potassium concentrations reflect ATP depletion and inhibition of the Na/K-ATPase in the plasma membrane as a result of impeded oxygen supply. The decreased calcium concentrations developing over time in the transplanted islet cells might be potentially detrimental, because calcium plays a fundamental role in the control of a variety of cellular functions, including insulin secretion, in beta cells.

Insulin receptor signaling and sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase in beta-cells

Glucose is the main physiological secretagogue for insulin secretion by pancreatic beta-cells, and the major biochemical mechanisms involved have been elucidated. In particular, an increase in intracellular calcium is important for insulin exocytosis. More recently, it has become apparent that the beta-cell also has many of the elements of the insulin receptor signal transduction pathway, including the insulin receptor and insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins 1 and 2. Studies with transgenic models have shown that the beta-cell-selective insulin receptor knockout and the IRS-1 knockout lead to reduced glucose-induced insulin secretion. Overexpression of the insulin receptor and IRS-1 in beta-cells results in increased insulin secretion and increased cytosolic Ca(2+). We have thus postulated the existence of a novel autocrine-positive feedback loop of insulin on its own secretion involving interaction with the insulin receptor signal transduction pathway and regulation of intracellular calcium homeostasis. Our current working hypothesis is that this glucose-dependent interaction occurs at the level of IRS-1 and the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum calcium ATPase, the calcium pump of the endoplasmic reticulum.

Na/Ca exchanger overexpression induces endoplasmic reticulum-related apoptosis and caspase-12 activation in insulin-releasing BRIN-BD11 cells

Ca(2+) may trigger programmed cell death (apoptosis) and regulate death-specific enzymes. Therefore, the development of strategies to control Ca(2+) homeostasis may represent a potential approach to prevent or enhance cell apoptosis. To test this hypothesis, the plasma membrane Na/Ca exchanger (NCX1.7 isoform) was stably overexpressed in insulin-secreting tumoral cells. NCX1.7 overexpression increased apoptosis induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitors, but not by agents increasing intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)), through the opening of plasma membrane Ca(2+)-channels. NCX1.7 overexpression reduced the rise in [Ca(2+)](i) induced by all agents, depleted ER Ca(2+) stores, sensitized the cells to Ca(2+)-independent proapoptotic signaling pathways, and reduced cell proliferation by approximately 40%. ER Ca(2+) stores depletion was accompanied by the activation of the ER-specific caspase (caspase-12), and the activation was enhanced by ER Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitors. Hence, Na/Ca exchanger overexpression, by depleting ER Ca(2+) stores, triggers the activation of caspase-12 and increases apoptotic cell death. By increasing apoptosis and decreasing cell proliferation, overexpression of Na/Ca exchanger may represent a new potential approach in cancer gene therapy. On the other hand, our results open the way to the development of new strategies to control cellular Ca(2+) homeostasis that could, on the contrary, prevent the process of apoptosis that mediates, in part, beta-cell autoimmune destruction in type 1 diabetes.

Contribution of the endoplasmic reticulum to the glucose-induced [Ca(2+)](c) response in mouse pancreatic islets

Thapsigargin (TG), a blocker of Ca(2+) uptake by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), was used to evaluate the contribution of the organelle to the oscillations of cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](c)) induced by repetitive Ca(2+) influx in mouse pancreatic beta-cells. Because TG depolarized the plasma membrane in the presence of glucose alone, extracellular K(+) was alternated between 10 and 30 mM in the presence of diazoxide to impose membrane potential (MP) oscillations. In control islets, pulses of K(+), mimicking regular MP oscillations elicited by 10 mM glucose, induced [Ca(2+)](c) oscillations whose nadir remained higher than basal [Ca(2+)](c). Increasing the depolarization phase of the pulses while keeping their frequency constant (to mimic the effects of a further rise of the glucose concentration on MP) caused an upward shift of the nadir of [Ca(2+)](c) oscillations that was reproduced by raising extracellular Ca(2+) (to increase Ca(2+) influx) without changing the pulse protocol. In TG-pretreated islets, the imposed [Ca(2+)](c) oscillations were of much larger amplitude than in control islets and occurred on basal levels. During intermittent trains of depolarizations, control islets displayed mixed [Ca(2+)](c) oscillations characterized by a summation of fast oscillations on top of slow ones, whereas no progressive summation of the fast oscillations was observed in TG-pretreated islets. In conclusion, the buffering capacity of the ER in pancreatic beta-cells limits the amplitude of [Ca(2+)](c) oscillations and may explain how the nadir between oscillations remains above baseline during regular oscillations or gradually increases during mixed [Ca(2+)](c) oscillations, two types of response observed during glucose stimulation.

Menadione-induced apoptosis: roles of cytosolic Ca2+elevations and the mitochondrial permeability transition pore

In normal pancreatic acinar cells, the oxidant menadione evokes repetitive cytosolic Ca2+ spikes, partial mitochondrial depolarisation,cytochrome c release and apoptosis. The physiological agonists acetylcholine and cholecystokinin also evoke cytosolic Ca2+ spikes but do not depolarise mitochondria and fail to induce apoptosis. Ca2+ spikes induced by low agonist concentrations are confined to the apical secretory pole of the cell by the buffering action of perigranular mitochondria. Menadione prevents mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake, which permits rapid spread of Ca2+ throughout the cell. Menadione-induced mitochondrial depolarisation is due to induction of the permeability transition pore. Blockade of the permeability transition pore with bongkrekic acid prevents activation of caspase 9 and 3. In contrast, the combination of antimycin A and acetylcholine does not cause apoptosis but elicits a global cytosolic Ca2+ rise and mitochondrial depolarisation without induction of the permeability transition pore. Increasing the cytosolic Ca2+buffering power by BAPTA prevents cytosolic Ca2+ spiking, blocks the menadione-elicited mitochondrial depolarisation and blocks menadione-induced apoptosis. These results suggest a twin-track model in which both intracellular release of Ca2+ and induction of the permeability transition pore are required for initiation of apoptosis.

A comprehensive analysis of cytokine-induced and nuclear factor-kappa B-dependent genes in primary rat pancreatic beta-cells

Type 1 diabetes mellitus results from an autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta-cells. Cytokines, such as interleukin-1 beta and interferon-gamma, are putative mediators of immune-induced beta-cell death and, under in vitro conditions, cause beta-cell apoptosis. We have recently shown that interleukin-1 beta + interferon-gamma modifies the expression of >200 genes in beta-cells. Several of these genes are putative targets for the transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B), and in subsequent experiments we showed that NF-kappa B activation is mostly pro-apoptotic in beta-cells. To identify cytokine-induced and NF-kappa B-regulated genes in primary rat beta-cells, we presently combined two experimental approaches: 1) blocking of NF-kappa B activation in cytokine-exposed beta-cells by a recombinant adenovirus (AdI kappa B((SA)2)) containing an inhibitor of NF-kappa B alpha (I kappa Bac) super-repressor (S32A/S36A) and 2) study of gene expression by microarray analysis. We identified 66 cytokine-modified and NF-kappa B-regulated genes in beta-cells. Cytokine-induced NF-kappa B activation decreased Pdx-1 and increased c-Myc expression. This, together with NF-kappa B-dependent inhibition of Glut-2, pro-hormone convertase-1, and Isl-1 expression, probably contributes to the loss of differentiated beta-cell functions. NF-kappa B also regulates several genes encoding for chemokines and cytokines in beta-cells. The present data suggest that NF-kappa B is a key "switch regulator" of transcription factors and gene networks controlling cytokine-induced beta-cell dysfunction and death.

Bcl-2 increases emptying of endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ stores during photodynamic therapy-induced apoptosis

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is clinically approved for the treatment of several types of cancer as well as age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. PDT using the photosensitizer verteporfin has been previously shown to induce rapid apoptosis via a mitochondrial-caspase activation pathway. The impact of PDT on other cellular organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is undefined. The effect of PDT on intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in control and Bcl-2-overexpressing HeLa cells was assessed. A greater [Ca2+]i transient was observed for Bcl-2 overexpressing cells in response to PDT. The PDT-induced Ca2+ release was due to the emptying of Ca2+ from ER and possibly mitochondrial stores and was not due to an influx of Ca2+ from the medium. For Bcl-2-transfected cells, the release of Ca2+ was incomplete as determined by a further [Ca2+]i transient produced by the addition of the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin after PDT. Furthermore, extrusion of Ca2+ was not hindered while ER-mediated sequestration of Ca2+ was impaired after PDT. Impairment of ER-mediated sequestration of Ca2+ may be due to the immediate caspase-independent depletion of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase-2 (SERCA2) that occurred in response to PDT in birth HeLa/Neo and Bcl-2 overexpressed HeLa cells. In summary, PDT induced the rapid degradation of SERCA2 and release of ER and mitochondrial Ca2+ stores. Although overexpression of Bcl-2 did not protect against SERCA2 degradation, it may influence the release of Ca2+ from ER and mitochondrial stores in PDT-treated cells.

Mechanisms and physiological significance of the cholinergic control of pancreatic beta-cell function

Acetylcholine (ACh), the major parasympathetic neurotransmitter, is released by intrapancreatic nerve endings during the preabsorptive and absorptive phases of feeding. In beta-cells, ACh binds to muscarinic M(3) receptors and exerts complex effects, which culminate in an increase of glucose (nutrient)-induced insulin secretion. Activation of PLC generates diacylglycerol. Activation of PLA(2) produces arachidonic acid and lysophosphatidylcholine. These phospholipid-derived messengers, particularly diacylglycerol, activate PKC, thereby increasing the efficiency of free cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](c)) on exocytosis of insulin granules. IP3, also produced by PLC, causes a rapid elevation of [Ca(2+)](c) by mobilizing Ca(2+) from the endoplasmic reticulum; the resulting fall in Ca(2+) in the organelle produces a small capacitative Ca(2+) entry. ACh also depolarizes the plasma membrane of beta-cells by a Na(+)- dependent mechanism. When the plasma membrane is already depolarized by secretagogues such as glucose, this additional depolarization induces a sustained increase in [Ca(2+)](c). Surprisingly, ACh can also inhibit voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels and stimulate Ca(2+) efflux when [Ca(2+)](c) is elevated. However, under physiological conditions, the net effect of ACh on [Ca(2+)](c) is always positive. The insulinotropic effect of ACh results from two mechanisms: one involves a rise in [Ca(2+)](c) and the other involves a marked, PKC-mediated increase in the efficiency of Ca(2+) on exocytosis. The paper also discusses the mechanisms explaining the glucose dependence of the effects of ACh on insulin release.

The molecular biology of the group VIA Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2

The group VIA PLA2 is a member of the PLA2 superfamily. This enzyme, which is cytosolic and Ca2+-independent, has been designated iPLA2beta to distinguish it from another recently cloned Ca2+-independent PLA2. Features of iPLA2beta molecular structure offer some insight into possible cellular functions of the enzyme. At least two catalytically active iPLA2beta isoforms and additionalsplicing variants are derived from a single gene that consists of at least 17 exons located on human chromosome 22q13.1. Potential tumor suppressor genes also reside at or near this locus. Structural analyses reveal that iPLA2beta contains unique structural features that include a serine lipase consensus motif (GXSXG), a putative ATP-binding domain, an ankyrin-repeat domain, a caspase-3 cleavage motif DVTD138Y/N, a bipartite nuclear localization signal sequence, and a proline-rich region in the human long isoform. iPLA2beta is widely expressed among mammalian tissues, with highest expression in testis and brain. iPLA2beta prefers to hydrolyze fatty acid at the sn-2 fatty acid substituent but also exhibits phospholipase A1, lysophospholipase, PAF acetylhydrolase, and transacylase activities. iPLA2beta may participate in signaling, apoptosis, membrane phospholipid remodeling, membrane homeostasis, arachidonate release, and exocytotic membrane fusion. Structural features and the existence of multiple splicing variants of iPLA2beta suggest that iPLA2beta may be subject to complex regulatory mechanisms that differ among cell types. Further study of its regulation and interaction with other proteins may yield insight into how its structural features are related to its function.

Nitric oxide-induced apoptosis in pancreatic beta cells is mediated by the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway

Excessive nitric oxide (NO) production in cytokine-activated beta cells has been implicated in beta cell disruption in type 1 diabetes. beta cells are very vulnerable to NO-induced apoptosis. However, the mechanism underlying this phenomenon is unclear. Low concentrations of NO that lead to apoptosis apparently do not cause severe DNA damage in mouse MIN6 beta cells. CHOP, a C/EBP homologous protein that is induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and plays a role in growth arrest and cell death, was induced by a NO donor, S-nitroso-N-acetyl-D,L-penicillamine (SNAP). SNAP increased cytosolic Ca(2+), and only agents depleting ER Ca(2+) induced CHOP expression and led to apoptosis, suggesting that NO depletes ER Ca(2+). Overexpression of calreticulin increased the Ca(2+) content of ER and afforded protection to cells against NO-mediated apoptosis. Furthermore, pancreatic islets from CHOP knockout mice showed resistance to NO. We conclude that NO depletes ER Ca(2+), causes ER stress, and leads to apoptosis. Thus, ER Ca(2+) stores are a new target of NO, and the ER stress pathway is a major mechanism of NO-mediated beta cell apoptosis.

Endothelial cell apoptosis: biochemical characteristics and potential implications for atherosclerosis

The high turnover of endothelial cells (EC) in atherosclerosis suggests that an increase in the frequency of both cell proliferation and cell death is important in the pathogenesis of this common disorder. Further, increased apoptosis of EC, smooth muscle cells (SMC) and immune cells has been observed in atheromatous plaques. Many pro-atherogenic factors, including oxidized low-density lipoproteins, angiotensin II and oxidative stress, can induce EC apoptosis. Such damage to the endothelium may be an initiating event in atherogenesis since EC apoptosis may compromise vasoregulation, increase SMC proliferation, SMC migration and blood coagulation. In addition, EC overlying vascular lesions have been shown to increase their expression of pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Fas and Bax, while decreasing levels of anti-apoptotic factors. Therefore, understanding EC apoptotic pathways that are altered in atherosclerosis may enable a greater understanding of disease pathogenesis and foster the development of new therapies. The present discussion outlines the biochemical characteristics of EC apoptosis and the role that altered regulation of apoptosis plays in vasculopathy.

Lipoxygenases and their involvement in programmed cell death

Lipoxygenases are a family of enzymes which dioxygenate unsaturated fatty acids, thus initiating lipoperoxidation of membranes and the synthesis of signaling molecules. Consequently, they induce structural and metabolic changes in the cell in a number of pathophysiological conditions. Recently, a pro-apoptotic effect of lipoxygenase, and of the hydroperoxides produced thereof, has been reported in different cells and tissues, leading to cell death. Anti-apoptotic effects of lipoxygenases have also been reported; however, this has often been based on the use of enzyme inhibitors. Here we review the characteristics of the lipoxygenase family and its involvement in the initiation of oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. Finally, we discuss the role of lipoxygenase activation in apoptosis of animal and plant cells, suggesting a common signal transduction pathway in cell death conserved through evolution of both kingdoms.

Studies of phospholipid metabolism, proliferation, and secretion of stably transfected insulinoma cells that overexpress group VIA phospholipase A2

A cytosolic 84 kDa Group VIA phospholipase A2 (iPLA2beta) that does not require Ca2+ for catalysis was cloned from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, murine P388D1 cells, pancreatic islet beta-cells, and other sources. Proposed iPLA2beta functions include participation in phosphatidylcholine (PC) homeostasis by degrading excess PC generated in CHO cells that overexpress CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (CT), which catalyzes the rate-limiting step in PC biosynthesis; participation in biosynthesis of arachidonate-containing PC species in P388D1 cells by generating lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) acceptors for arachidonate incorporation; and participation in signaling events in insulin secretion from islet beta-cells. To further examine iPLA2beta functions in beta-cells, we prepared stably transfected INS-1 insulinoma cell lines that overexpress iPLA2beta activity eightfold compared to parental INS-1 cells or to INS-1 cells transfected with an empty retroviral vector that did not contain iPLA2beta cDNA. The iPLA2beta-overexpressing cells exhibit a twofold increase in CT activity compared to parental cells but little change in rates of [3H]choline incorporation into or disappearance from PC. Electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometric measurements indicate that iPLA2beta-overexpressing cells have 1.5-fold higher LPC levels than parental INS-1 cells but do not exhibit increased rates of [3H]arachidonate incorporation into phospholipids, and incorporation is unaffected by a bromoenol lactone (BEL) suicide substrate inhibitor of iPLA2beta. The rate of appearance of arachidonate-containing phosphatidylethanolamine species visualized by ESI mass spectrometry is also similar in iPLA2beta-overexpressing and parental INS-1 cells incubated with supplemental arachidonic acid, and this process is unaffected by BEL. Compared to parental INS-1 cells, iPLA2beta-overexpressing cells proliferate more rapidly and exhibit amplified insulin secretory responses to a protein kinase C-activating phorbol ester, glucose, and a cAMP analog. These findings suggest that iPLA2beta plays a signaling role in beta-cells that differs from housekeeping functions in PC biosynthesis and degradation in P388D1 and CHO cells.

SERCA1 truncated proteins unable to pump calcium reduce the endoplasmic reticulum calcium concentration and induce apoptosis

By pumping calcium from the cytosol to the ER, sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPases (SERCAs) play a major role in the control of calcium signaling. We describe two SERCA1 splice variants (S1Ts) characterized by exon 4 and/or exon 11 splicing, encoding COOH terminally truncated proteins, having only one of the seven calcium-binding residues, and thus unable to pump calcium. As shown by semiquantitative RT-PCR, S1T transcripts are differentially expressed in several adult and fetal human tissues, but not in skeletal muscle and heart. S1T proteins expression was detected by Western blot in nontransfected cell lines. In transiently transfected cells, S1T homodimers were revealed by Western blot using mildly denaturing conditions. S1T proteins were shown, by confocal scanning microscopy, to colocalize with endogenous SERCA2b into the ER membrane. Using ER-targeted aequorin (erAEQ), we have found that S1T proteins reduce ER calcium and reverse elevation of ER calcium loading induced by SERCA1 and SERCA2b. Our results also show that SERCA1 variants increase ER calcium leakage and are consistent with the hypothesis of a cation channel formed by S1T homodimers. Finally, when overexpressed in liver-derived cells, S1T proteins significantly induce apoptosis. These data reveal a further mechanism modulating Ca(2+) accumulation into the ER of nonmuscle cells and highlight the relevance of S1T proteins to the control of apoptosis.

Studies of insulin secretory responses and of arachidonic acid incorporation into phospholipids of stably transfected insulinoma cells that overexpress group VIA phospholipase A2 (iPLA2beta ) indicate a signaling rather than a housekeeping role for iPLA2beta

A cytosolic 84-kDa group VIA phospholipase A(2) (iPLA(2)beta) that does not require Ca(2+) for catalysis has been cloned from several sources, including rat and human pancreatic islet beta-cells and murine P388D1 cells. Many potential iPLA(2)beta functions have been proposed, including a signaling role in beta-cell insulin secretion and a role in generating lysophosphatidylcholine acceptors for arachidonic acid incorporation into P388D1 cell phosphatidylcholine (PC). Proposals for iPLA(2)beta function rest in part on effects of inhibiting iPLA(2)beta activity with a bromoenol lactone (BEL) suicide substrate, but BEL also inhibits phosphatidate phosphohydrolase-1 and a group VIB phospholipase A(2). Manipulation of iPLA(2)beta expression by molecular biologic means is an alternative approach to study iPLA(2)beta functions, and we have used a retroviral construct containing iPLA(2)beta cDNA to prepare two INS-1 insulinoma cell clonal lines that stably overexpress iPLA(2)beta. Compared with parental INS-1 cells or cells transfected with empty vector, both iPLA(2)beta-overexpressing lines exhibit amplified insulin secretory responses to glucose and cAMP-elevating agents, and BEL substantially attenuates stimulated secretion. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometric analyses of arachidonic acid incorporation into INS-1 cell PC indicate that neither overexpression nor inhibition of iPLA(2)beta affects the rate or extent of this process in INS-1 cells. Immunocytofluorescence studies with antibodies directed against iPLA(2)beta indicate that cAMP-elevating agents increase perinuclear fluorescence in INS-1 cells, suggesting that iPLA(2)beta associates with nuclei. These studies are more consistent with a signaling than with a housekeeping role for iPLA(2)beta in insulin-secreting beta-cells.

IFN-gamma/TNF-alpha synergism as the final effector in autoimmune diabetes: a key role for STAT1/IFN regulatory factor-1 pathway in pancreatic beta cell death

Fas ligand (FasL), perforin, TNF-alpha, IL-1, and NO have been considered as effector molecule(s) leading to beta cell death in autoimmune diabetes. However, the real culprit(s) in beta cell destruction have long been elusive, despite intense investigation. We and others have demonstrated that FasL is not a major effector molecule in autoimmune diabetes, and previous inability to transfer diabetes to Fas-deficient nonobese diabetic (NOD)-lpr mice was due to constitutive FasL expression on lymphocytes from these mice. Here, we identified IFN-gamma/TNF-alpha synergism as the final effector molecules in autoimmune diabetes of NOD mice. A combination of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha, but neither cytokine alone, induced classical caspase-dependent apoptosis in insulinoma and pancreatic islet cells. IFN-gamma treatment conferred susceptibility to TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis on otherwise resistant insulinoma cells by STAT1 activation followed by IFN regulatory factor (IRF)-1 induction. IRF-1 played a central role in IFN-gamma/TNF-alpha-induced cytotoxicity because inhibition of IRF-1 induction by antisense oligonucleotides blocked IFN-gamma/TNF-alpha-induced cytotoxicity, and transfection of IRF-1 rendered insulinoma cells susceptible to TNF-alpha-induced cytotoxicity. STAT1 and IRF-1 were expressed in pancreatic islets of diabetic NOD mice and colocalized with apoptotic cells. Moreover, anti-TNF-alpha Ab inhibited the development of diabetes after adoptive transfer. Taken together, our results indicate that IFN-gamma/TNF-alpha synergism is responsible for autoimmune diabetes in vivo as well as beta cell apoptosis in vitro and suggest a novel signal transduction in IFN-gamma/TNF-alpha synergism that may have relevance in other autoimmune diseases and synergistic anti-tumor effects of the two cytokines.

Cytosolic Ca(2+) signal is involved in regulating UV-induced apoptosis in hela cells

Results of recent studies using BAPTA/AM have raised a serious question on whether Ca(2+) signal is truly involved in regulating the progression of apoptosis. To resolve this question, we examined the differential effects of three different Ca(2+) signaling blockers (BAPTA/AM, membrane-impermeant BAPTA, and heparin) on UV-induced apoptosis in HeLa cells. We found that although the membrane-permeable form of BAPTA (i.e., BAPTA/AM) could not inhibit cell death, the membrane-impermeant form of BAPTA, loaded into the cytosol by electroporation, clearly protected cells from entering apoptosis. Furthermore, when we injected heparin to block Ca(2+) release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to cytosol, apoptosis was greatly suppressed. These findings strongly suggest that elevation of cytosolic Ca(2+) is part of the signal that drives the progression of apoptosis. The negative result of BAPTA/AM is probably due to its dual effect on subcellular Ca(2+) distribution; besides suppressing the Ca(2+) elevation in cytosol, BAPTA/AM can also enter into the ER to reduce the free Ca(2+) level there. The depletion of Ca(2+) in ER is believed to stimulate apoptosis and thus would counterbalance the protection effect of BAPTA/AM in suppressing the cytosolic Ca(2+) elevation.

Evidence that increased 12-lipoxygenase activity induces apoptosis in fibroblasts

The 12-lipoxygenase (LO) enzyme has been implicated in playing a role in pancreatic beta cell inflammatory damage and atherosclerosis. 12-LO reacts with fatty acids to form hydroperoxides which may alter cellular growth. In this study we investigated the direct effect of mouse leukocyte type 12-LO cDNA overexpression on apoptosis in Chinese hamster ovary fibroblast cells that also stably overexpress the angiotensin II type 1a receptor. CHO-AT1a cells expressing background levels of 12-LO exhibited clear increases in growth in response to angiotensin II. In contrast, the new 12-LO transfected cells (CHO-AT1a/ML12-LO cells) displayed reduced basal and angiotensin Il-induced growth compared to CHO-AT1a cells. Furthermore, serum-deprivation resulted in a significantly greater number of non-viable cells in clones having the greatest magnitude of 12-LO overexpression. These results suggested that reduction of the proliferation rate of CHO-AT1a/ML12-LO cells was due to an increasing rate of cell death. To determine whether the increase in cell death was due to apoptosis, we evaluated nuclear DNA fragmentation, cell morphologic changes, and activation of caspase-3. Cells overexpressing 12-LO cDNA displayed all these changes characteristic of apoptosis. In addition the 12-LO product, 12-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HPETE), directly induced apoptosis in CHO-AT1a cells. These results demonstrate for the first time that 12-LO activation can lead to apoptosis in fibroblasts, suggesting a role of 12-LO in leading to inflammatory mediated cellular damage.

Dependence of vital cell function on endoplasmic reticulum calcium levels: implications for the mechanisms underlying neuronal cell injury in different pathological states

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a subcellular compartment playing a pivotal role in the control of vital calcium-related cell functions, including calcium storage and signalling. In addition, newly synthesized membrane and secretory proteins are folded and processed in the ER, reactions which are strictly calcium dependent. The ER calcium activity is therefore high, being several orders of magnitude above that of the cytoplasm. Depletion of ER calcium stores causes an accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER lumen, a pathological situation which induces the activation of two highly conserved stress responses, the ER overload response (EOR) and the unfolded protein response (UPR). EOR triggers activation of the transcription factor NF kappa B, which, in turn, activates the expression of target genes. UPR triggers two downstream processes: it activates the expression of genes coding for ER-resident stress proteins, and it causes a suppression of the initiation of protein synthesis. A similar stress response is activated in pathological states of the brain including cerebral ischaemia, implying common underlying mechanisms. Depending on the extent and duration of the disturbance, an isolated impairment of ER function is sufficient to induce cell injury. In this review, evidence is presented that ER function is indeed disturbed in various diseases of the brain, including acute pathological states (e.g. cerebral ischaemia) and degenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer's disease). A body of evidence suggests that disturbances of ER function could be a global pathomechanism underlying neuronal cell injury in various acute and chronic disorders of the central nervous system. If that is true, restoration of ER function or attenuation of secondary disturbances induced by ER dysfunction could present a highly promising new avenue for pharmacological intervention to minimize neuronal cell injury in different pathological states of the brain.

Nitric oxide and neuronal and pancreatic beta cell death

Neural cells are found in all organs of the body and play an important role in the maintenance of the internal milieu. The pancreatic beta cell is the most numerous cell types in the endocrine pancreas. It is particularly important because of its role in insulin secretion, a crucial hormone in glucose metabolism. In view of this, the significance of the survival of neural and pancreatic beta cell cannot be over emphasised. Neural and pancreatic beta cell death occurs in a variety of ways. The destruction of neural cells can be induced with (1) free radicals (H(2)O(2), O(2)(-)(,) HO(-)) and nitric oxide; (2) Cytokines (tumour necrosis factor, interleukin-1 beta, interferon-gamma); (3) Glutamate; (4) Amphetamine analog (Ecstasy); (5) S100 protein; (6) Ammonia; (7) Iron ions; (8) Resins, e.g. methylmethycrylate. Pancreatic beta cell can be destroyed by (1) free radicals (H(2)O(2), O(2)(-)(,) HO(-)) and nitric oxide; (2) Cytokines (tumour necrosis factor, interleukin-1 beta, interferon-gamma); (3) alkylating agents (streptozotocin, alloxan, N-methyl-nitrosourea N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea, Methylmethanesulphonate and ethylmethanesulphonate); (4) hyperglycaemia; (5) islet amyloid poplypeptide; and (6) Inositol Monophosphate dehydrogenase inhibitors. There is enough evidence that most of these agents involved in neural and pancreatic beta cell death exert their toxic effects through the nitric oxide pathway. Neuroprotective agents include vitamin B12 analogs and alpha-tocopherol, NOS inhibitors, antioxidants (e.g. glutathione, superoxide dismutase), metals like cobalt, neurotrophic receptors (Akt kinase) and growth factors. The pancreatic beta cell death induced by these toxic agents can be prevented and or delayed by nicotinamide (vitamin B3), heat shock, copper, alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E), succinic acid, dihydroxylipoic acid, fusidic acid, glucocorticoids, cyclosporin A, growth factors and gene therapy.

A selective requirement for elevated calcium in DNA degradation, but not early events in anti-Fas-induced apoptosis

Jurkat cells undergo apoptosis in response to anti-Fas antibody through a caspase-dependent death cascade in which calcium signaling has been implicated. We have now evaluated the role of calcium during this death cascade at the single cell level in real time utilizing flow cytometric analysis and confocal microscopy. Fluo-3 and propidium iodide were employed to evaluate calcium fluxes and to discriminate between viable and non-viable cells, respectively. Anti-Fas treatment of Jurkat cells resulted in a sustained increase in intracellular calcium commencing between 1 and 2 h after treatment and persisting until subsequent loss of cell membrane integrity. The significance of this rise in calcium was evaluated by buffering intracellular calcium with BAPTA and/or removing calcium from the extracellular medium and monitoring the effects of these manipulations on calcium signaling and components of the apoptotic process. Complete inhibition of the anti-Fas induced rise in intracellular calcium required both chelation of [Ca(2+)](i) and removal of extracellular calcium. Interestingly, this condition did not abrogate several events in Fas-induced apoptosis including cell shrinkage, mitochondrial depolarization, annexin binding, caspase activation, and nuclear poly(A)DP-ribose polymerase cleavage. Furthermore, calcium-free conditions in the absence of anti-Fas antibody weakly induced these apoptotic components. In marked contrast, calcium depletion did not induce DNA degradation in control cells, and inhibited apoptotic DNA degradation in response to anti-Fas. These data support the concept that the rise in intracellular calcium is not a necessary component for the early signal transduction pathways in anti-Fas-induced apoptosis in Jurkat cells, but rather is necessary for the final degradation of chromatin via nuclease activation.

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometric analyses of changes in tissue phospholipid molecular species during the evolution of hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia in Zucker diabetic fatty rats

The Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rat is a genetic model of type II diabetes mellitus in which males homozygous for nonfunctional leptin receptors (fa/fa) develop obesity, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia, but rats homozygous for normal receptors (+/+) remain lean and normoglycemic. Insulin resistance develops in young fa/fa rats and is followed by evolution of an insulin secretory defect that triggers hyperglycemia. Because insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity are affected by membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition, we have determined whether metabolic abnormalities in fa/fa rats are associated with changes in tissue phospholipids. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometric analyses of glycerophosphocholine (GPC) and glycerophosphoethanolamine (GPE) molecular species from tissues of prediabetic (6 wk of age) and overtly diabetic (12 wk) fa/fa rats and from +/+ rats of the same ages indicate that arachidonate-containing species from heart, aorta, and liver of prediabetic fa/fa rats made a smaller contribution to GPC total ion current than was the case for +/+ rats. There was a correspondingly larger contribution from species with sn-2 oleate or linoleate substituents in fa/fa heart and aorta. The relative contributions of arachidonate-containing GPC species increased in these tissues as fa/fa rats aged and were equal to or greater than those for +/+ rats by 12 wk. For heart and aorta, relative contributions from GPE species with sn-2 arachidonate or docosahexaenoate substituents to the total ion current increased and those from species with sn-2 oleate or linoleate substituents fell as fa/fa rats aged, but these tissue lipid profiles changed little with age in +/+ rats. GPC and GPE profiles for brain, kidney, sciatic nerve, and red blood cells were similar among fa/fa and +/+ rats at 6 and 12 wk of age, and pancreatic islets from fa/fa and +/+ rats exhibited similar GPC and GPE profiles at 12 wk of age. Under-representation of arachidonate-containing GPC and GPE species in some fa/fa rat tissues at 6 wk could contribute to insulin resistance, but depletion of islet arachidonate-containing GPC and GPE species is unlikely to explain the evolution of the insulin secretory defect that is well-developed by 12 wk of age.

Activation of different lipoxygenase isozymes induces apoptosis in human erythroleukemia and neuroblastoma cells

We investigated the ability of different hydroperoxides generated by lipoxygenase isozymes to induce programmed cell death (PCD) in human cells. Erythroleukemia K562 and neuroblastoma CHP100 cells were used, because they showed high basal activity of lipoxygenase. The hydroperoxides generated by 5-, 12-, or 15-lipoxygenases from linoleate, linolenate, or arachidonate, and the corresponding hydroxides, were able to induce PCD in both cell types, in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. After 24 h, K562 and CHP100 cells showed 2.5- to 3.5-fold more apoptotic bodies than the untreated controls. PCD elicited by lipoxygenase products was independent of intracellular glutathione concentration, and did not require mRNA transcription or protein synthesis. On the other hand, lipoxygenase products evoked an immediate and sustained rise in cytoplasmic calcium (within seconds), followed by mitochondrial uncoupling (within hours). Unlike the hydro(pero)xides, the terminal products of the arachidonate cascade (i.e., leukotrienes, prostaglandins and thromboxane) were not cytotoxic.

Electrospray ionization/mass spectrometric analyses of human promonocytic U937 cell glycerolipids and evidence that differentiation is associated with membrane lipid composition changes that facilitate phospholipase A2 activation

Upon differentiation, U937 promonocytic cells gain the ability to release a large fraction of arachidonate esterified in phospholipids when stimulated, but the mechanism is unclear. U937 cells express group IV phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)), but neither its level nor its phosphorylation state increases upon differentiation. A group VI PLA(2) (iPLA(2)) that is sensitive to a bromoenol lactone inhibitor catalyzes arachidonate hydrolysis from phospholipids in some cells and facilitates arachidonate incorporation into glycerophosphocholine (GPC) lipids in others, but it is not known whether U937 cells express iPLA(2). We confirm that ionophore A23187 induces substantial [(3)H]arachidonate release from differentiated but not control U937 cells, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometric (ESI/MS) analyses indicate that differentiated cells contain a higher proportion of arachidonate-containing GPC species than control cells. U937 cells express iPLA(2) mRNA and activity, but iPLA(2) inhibition impairs neither [(3)H]arachidonate incorporation into nor release from U937 cells. Experiments with phosphatidate phosphohydrolase (PAPH) and phospholipase D (PLD) inhibitors coupled with ESI/MS analyses of PLD-PAPH products indicate that differentiated cells gain the ability to produce diacylglycerol (DAG) via PLD-PAPH. DAG promotes arachidonate release by a mechanism that does not require DAG hydrolysis, is largely independent of protein kinase C, and requires cPLA(2) activity. This may reflect DAG effects on cPLA(2) substrate state.

Bcl-2 decreases the free Ca2+ concentration within the endoplasmic reticulum

The antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 localizes not only to mitochondria but also to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, the function of Bcl-2 at the level of the ER is poorly understood. In this study, we have investigated the effects of Bcl-2 expression on Ca(2+) storage and release by the ER. The expression of Bcl-2 decreased the amount of Ca(2+) that could be released from intracellular stores, regardless of the mode of store depletion, the cell type, or the species from which Bcl-2 was derived. Bcl-2 also decreased cellular Ca(2+) store content in the presence of mitochondrial inhibitors, suggesting that its effects were not mediated through mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake. Direct measurements with ER-targeted Ca(2+)-sensitive fluorescent "cameleon" proteins revealed that Bcl-2 decreased the free Ca(2+) concentration within the lumen of the ER, [Ca(2+)](ER). Analysis of the kinetics of Ca(2+) store depletion in response to the Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin revealed that Bcl-2 increased the permeability of the ER membrane. These results suggest that Bcl-2 decreases the free Ca(2+) concentration within the ER lumen by increasing the Ca(2+) permeability of the ER membrane. The increased ER Ca(2+) permeability conferred by Bcl-2 would be compatible with an ion channel function of Bcl-2 at the level of the ER membrane.

Function- and agonist-specific Ca2+signalling: The requirement for and mechanism of spatial and temporal complexity in Ca2+signals

Calcium signals have been implicated in the regulation of many diverse cellular processes. The problem of how information from extracellular signals is delivered with specificity and fidelity using fluctuations in cytosolic Ca2+concentration remains unresolved. The capacity of cells to generate Ca2+signals of sufficient spatial and temporal complexity is the primary constraint on their ability to effectively encode information through Ca2+. Over the past decade, a large body of literature has dealt with some basic features of Ca2+-handling in cells, as well as the multiplicity and functional diversity of intracellular Ca2+stores and extracellular Ca2+influx pathways. In principle, physiologists now have the necessary information to attack the problem of function- and agonist-specificity in Ca2+signal transduction. This review explores the data indicating that Ca2+release from diverse sources, including many types of intracellular stores, generates Ca2+signals with sufficient complexity to regulate the vast number of cellular functions that have been reported as Ca2+-dependent. Some examples where such complexity may relate to neuroendocrine regulation of hormone secretion/synthesis are discussed. We show that the functional and spatial heterogeneity of Ca2+stores generates Ca2+signals with sufficient spatiotemporal complexity to simultaneously control multiple Ca2+-dependent cellular functions in neuroendocrine systems.Key words: signal coding, IP3receptor, ryanodine receptor, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, secretory granules, mitochondria, exocytosis.

Induction of tissue plasminogen activator secretion from rat heart microvascular cells by fM 1,25(OH)(2)D(3)

We investigated the effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [25(OH)(2)D(3)] on tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) secretion from primary cultures of rat heart microvascular cells. After an initial 5-day culture period, cells were treated for 24 h with 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) and several of its analogs. The results showed that 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) induced tPA secretion at 10(-10) to 10(-16) M. A less calcemic analog, Ro-25-8272, and an analog that binds the vitamin D receptor but is ineffective at perturbing Ca(2+) channels, Ro-24-5531, were approximately 10% as active as 1,25(OH)(2)D(3). An analog that binds the vitamin D receptor poorly but is an effective Ca(2+) channel agonist, Ro-24-2287, required approximately 10(-13) M to induce tPA secretion. Combinations of Ro-24-5531 and Ro-24-2287 were approximately as potent as 1,25(OH)(2)D(3). Treatment of the cells with BAY K 8644 or thapsigargin also increased tPA secretion, suggesting that increased cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)]) induces tPA secretion. The results suggested that the sensitivity of the tPA secretory response of microvascular cells to 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) was due in part to generation of a vitamin D-depleted state in vitro and in part to synergistic effects of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) on two different induction pathways of tPA release.

Overexpression of Bcl-x(L) in beta-cells prevents cell death but impairs mitochondrial signal for insulin secretion

To study effects of Bcl-x(L) in the pancreatic beta-cell, two transgenic lines were produced using different forms of the rat insulin promoter. Bcl-x(L) expression in beta-cells was increased 2- to 3-fold in founder (Fd) 1 and over 10-fold in Fd 2 compared with littermate controls. After exposure to thapsigargin (10 microM for 48 h), losses of cell viability in islets of Fd 1 and Fd 2 Bcl-x(L) transgenic mice were significantly lower than in islets of wild-type mice. Unexpectedly, severe glucose intolerance was observed in Fd 2 but not Fd 1 Bcl-x(L) mice. Pancreatic insulin content and islet morphology were not different from control in either transgenic line. However, Fd 2 Bcl-x(L) islets had impaired insulin secretory and intracellular free Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)) responses to glucose and KCl. Furthermore, insulin and [Ca(2+)](i) responses to pyruvate methyl ester (PME) were similarly reduced as glucose in Fd 2 Bcl-x(L) islets. Consistent with a mitochondrial defect, glucose oxidation, but not glycolysis, was significantly lower in Fd 2 Bcl-x(L) islets than in wild-type islets. Glucose-, PME-, and alpha-ketoisocaproate-induced hyperpolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential, NAD(P)H, and ATP production were also significantly reduced in Fd 2 Bcl-x(L) islets. Thus, although Bcl-x(L) promotes beta-cell survival, high levels of expression of Bcl-x(L) result in reduced glucose-induced insulin secretion and hyperglycemia due to a defect in mitochondrial nutrient metabolism and signaling for insulin secretion.

Ions, genes and insulin release: from basic science to clinical disease. Based on the 1998 R. D. Lawrence Lecture

In 1968, reports of the first microelectrode recordings of insulin-secreting cells were published. Thirty years later it is now established that electrical responses of beta-cells play a critical role in stimulus-secretion coupling. It is now also clear that defects in ion channel genes compromise the mechanisms which govern secretion and lead to the onset of disease. Here, the physiology of insulin release is reviewed in the context of ion channels, the ionic control of insulin release and the pathophysiology of hyperinsulinism of infancy.

The HIV Nef protein alters Ca(2+) signaling in myelomonocytic cells through SH3-mediated protein-protein interactions

Human immunodeficiency virus Nef plays an important role in AIDS pathogenesis. In addition to the well known down-regulation of cell surface receptors (CD4, MHCI), Nef is able to alter cellular signaling. Of particular interest for this study is the ability of Nef to bind with a very high affinity to SH3 domains of myelomonocyte-specific protein-tyrosine kinases of the Src family (Src-like PTK). We have therefore investigated Ca(2+) signaling in HL60 cells retrovirally transduced with wild type Nef or with a Nef mutant deficient in the SH3-interacting proline-rich motif (Nef((PXXP)4(-))). In differentiated HL60 cells, Nef markedly altered cellular Ca(2+) signaling; the amount of intracellularly stored Ca(2+) was increased, and as a consequence, store-operated Ca(2+)-influx was decreased. This effect was not observed in undifferentiated HL60 cells or in CEM T-lymphocytes and correlated with the differentiation-induced up-regulation of Src-like PTK. The Nef effect on Ca(2+) signaling depended entirely on the integrity of its PXXP motif. The Src-like PTK p56/59(hck) co-immunoprecipitated with both Nef and with the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor, providing a possible mechanistic link between the viral protein and intracellular Ca(2+) stores of the host cell. Collectively, our results demonstrate that the human immunodeficiency virus 1 Nef protein manipulates intracellular Ca(2+) stores through SH3-mediated interactions in myelomonocytic cells.

The early phase of apoptosis in human neuroblastoma CHP100 cells is characterized by lipoxygenase-dependent ultraweak light emission

Human neuroblastoma CHP100 cells were forced into apoptosis (programmed cell death, PCD) or necrosis by treatment with calcium chloride or sodium nitroprusside (a nitric oxide donor), respectively. Cellular luminescence, a marker of membrane lipid peroxidation, was increased by calcium but not by nitroprusside, and reached a maximum of 4-fold the control value 2 hours after treatment. The increase in luminescence was paralleled by increased 5-lipoxygenase (up to 250% of the control value) and decreased catalase (down to 50%) activity within the same time window. Consistently, incubation of CHP100 cells with inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase (5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid and MK886) reduced light emission and PCD, whereas inhibition of catalase by 3-amino-1, 2,4-triazole enhanced both processes. Treatment of CHP100 cells with retinoic acid or cisplatin, unrelated PCD inducers reported to activate the lipoxygenase pathway, also gave enhanced light emission parallel to PCD increase. Altogether, these results suggest that cellular luminescence is an early marker of apoptotic, but not necrotic, program(s) involving generation of hydrogen peroxide and activation of 5-lipoxygenase.

cAMP-induced cytoskeleton rearrangement increases calcium transients through the enhancement of capacitative calcium entry

In this report we investigated the correlation between cell morphology and regulation of cytosolic calcium homeostasis. Type I astrocytes were differentiated to stellate process-bearing cells by a 100-min exposure to cAMP. Differentiation of cortical astrocytes increased the magnitude and duration of calcium transients elicited by phospholipase C-activating agents as measured by single cell Fura-2-based imaging. Calcium imaging showed differences in the spatial pattern of the response. In both differentiated and the control cells, the response originated in the periphery and gradually extended into the center of the cell. However, the elevation of cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) was particularly evident within the processes and adjacent to the inner cell membrane of the differentiated astrocytes. In addition, differentiation significantly prolonged the duration of the [Ca(2+)](i) elevation. Potentiation of the calcium transients was mimicked by forskolin-induced differentiation and abolished by a specific protein kinase-A blocker. Conversely, the enhancement of the calcium transients was not mimicked by brief exposure to cAMP not causing morphological differentiation, and in PC12 cells that did not undergo morphological changes after 100 min of cAMP treatment. Impairing cAMP-induced cytoskeleton re-organization, by means of cytochalasin D and nocodazole, prevented the potentiation of the calcium transients in cAMP-treated astrocytes. Phospholipase C activity and sensitivity to inositol (1,4,5)-trisphosphate were not involved in the enhancement of the calcium responses. Also, potentiation of the calcium transients was dependent on extracellular calcium. Calcium storage and thapsigargin-depletable intracellular calcium reservoirs were analogously not increased in differentiated astrocytes. Rearrangement of the cell shape also caused a condensation of the endoplasmic reticulum and altered the spatial relationship between the endoplasmic reticulum and the cell membrane. In conclusion, morphological rearrangements of type I astrocytes increase the magnitude and the duration of agonist-induced calcium transients via enhancement of capacitative calcium entry and is associated with a spatial reorganization of the relationship between cell membrane and the endoplasmic reticulum structures.

Thapsigargin directly induces the mitochondrial permeability transition

High concentrations of thapsigargin (TG) have been used to study the process of necrotic cell death, which involves mitochondria in the cell rapidly undergoing the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT). We therefore investigated the effects of TG on MPT in isolated liver and heart mitochondria. Using a matrix swelling assay in combination with a novel enzymatic method based on inner membrane permeability to citrate synthase substrates, TG induced MPT in a concentration-dependent manner, independent of extramitochondrial [Ca2+] and inhibitable by cyclosporin A. Evidence from alamethicin-permeabilized mitochondria suggests that TG induces MPT by causing Ca2+ release from mitochondrial matrix Ca2+-binding sites. These findings suggest that the MPT-inducing effect of TG may contribute to its pro-necrotic and pro-apoptotic effects in various cell types.

Resveratrol prevents apoptosis in K562 cells by inhibiting lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase activity

The natural polyphenolic compound resveratrol (trans-3,4', 5-trihydroxystilbene) is shown to prevent apoptosis (programmed cell death) induced in human erythroleukemia K562 cells by hydrogen peroxide and other unrelated stimuli. Resveratrol reversed the elevation of leukotriene B4 (from 6.40 +/- 0.65 to 2.92 +/- 0.30 pmol.mg protein-1) and prostaglandin E2 (from 11.46 +/- 1.15 to 8.02 +/- 0.80 nmol.mg protein-1), induced by H2O2 challenge in K562 cells. The reduction of leukotriene B4 and prostaglandin E2 correlated with the inhibition of the 5-lipoxygenase activity, and the cyclooxygenase and peroxidase activity of prostaglandin H synthase, respectively. Resveratrol also blocked lipoperoxidation induced by hydrogen peroxide in K562 cell membranes. Resveratrol was found to act as a competitive inhibitor of purified 5-lipoxygenase and 15-lipoxygenase and prostaglandin H synthase, with inhibition constants of 4.5 +/- 0.5 microM (5-lipoxygenase), 40 +/- 5.0 microM (15-lipoxygenase), 35 +/- 4.0 microM (cyclooxygenase activity of prostaglandin H synthase) and 30 +/- 3.0 microM (peroxidase activity of prostaglandin H synthase). Altogether, the results reported here suggest that the anti-apoptotic activity of resveratrol depends on the direct inhibition of the main arachidonate-metabolizing enzymes.

Hydrogen peroxide alters mitochondrial activation and insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells

The effects of a transient exposure to hydrogen peroxide (10 min at 200 microM H(2)O(2)) on pancreatic beta cell signal transduction and insulin secretion have been evaluated. In rat islets, insulin secretion evoked by glucose (16.7 mM) or by the mitochondrial substrate methyl succinate (5 mM) was markedly blunted following exposure to H(2)O(2). In contrast, the secretory response induced by plasma membrane depolarization (20 mM KCl) was not significantly affected. Similar results were obtained in insulinoma INS-1 cells using glucose (12.8 mM) as secretagogue. After H(2)O(2) treatment, glucose no longer depolarized the membrane potential (DeltaPsi) of INS-1 cells or increased cytosolic Ca(2+). Both DeltaPsi and Ca(2+) responses were still observed with 30 mM KCl despite an elevated baseline of cytosolic Ca(2+) appearing approximately 10 min after exposure to H(2)O(2). The mitochondrial DeltaPsi of INS-1 cells was depolarized by H(2)O(2) abolishing the hyperpolarizing action of glucose. These DeltaPsi changes correlated with altered mitochondrial morphology; the latter was not preserved by the overexpression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. Mitochondrial Ca(2+) was increased following exposure to H(2)O(2) up to the micromolar range. No further augmentation occurred after glucose addition, which normally raises this parameter. Nevertheless, KCl was still efficient in enhancing mitochondrial Ca(2+). Cytosolic ATP was markedly reduced by H(2)O(2) treatment, probably explaining the decreased endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+). Taken together, these data point to the mitochondria as primary targets for H(2)O(2) damage, which will eventually interrupt the transduction of signals normally coupling glucose metabolism to insulin secretion.

SR compartment calcium and cell apoptosis in SERCA overexpression

The relationship between SR Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA) activities, cell calcium level, SR calcium store and cell cycle events is not clearly understood. We studied SERCA overexpression in Cos cells using an adenovirus vector. Twofold increases in SERCA mRNA and in protein were correlated with a 2.3-fold and a 1.6-fold paralleled increase in SR calcium pump activity (R = 0.97 and R = 0.99 respectively). Dose-related apoptotic cell death was associated with SERCA overexpression (R = 0.92). When serum was reduced to 4%, cell apoptosis further increased from 20.7 +/- 4.8% to 47.5 +/- 12.9% (M+/-SD; P<0.05; n=3). Flow cytometry identified cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. The interleukin-1 converting enzyme (ICE) inhibitor z-VAD-fmk reduced apoptosis for low-, medium- and high-expressing constructs, whereas the CPP-32 inhibitor z-DEVD-fmk had no effect. Flow cytometry using Fluo-3 and Fura-Red revealed a 1.5-fold higher basal calcium and a 10-fold SR calcium overload. ICE inhibitor z-VAD-fmk did not alter calcium loading. An epitope-tagged SERCA mutant, which has no intrinsic Ca2+-pump activities, had a much smaller effect on the SR calcium. These findings suggest that SERCA2A overexpression has an intrinsic role in altering cell-cycle progression, augmenting cellular and SR calcium loading, and precipitating ICE protease-mediated apoptosis; this represents as a novel model for primary SR calcium overload and associated cell apoptosis.

Resistance to type 1 diabetes induction in 12-lipoxygenase knockout mice

Leukocyte 12-lipoxygenase (12-LO) gene expression in pancreatic beta cells is upregulated by cytotoxic cytokines like IL-1beta. Recent studies have demonstrated that 12-LO inhibitors can prevent glutamate-induced neuronal cell death when intracellular glutathione stores are depleted. Therefore, 12-LO pathway inhibition may prevent beta-cell cytotoxicity. To evaluate the role of 12-LO gene expression in immune-mediated islet destruction, we used 12-LO knockout (12-LO KO) mice. Male homozygous 12-LO KO mice and control C57BL/6 mice received 5 consecutive daily injections of low-dose streptozotocin to induce immune-mediated diabetes. Fasting serum glucose and insulin levels were measured at 7-day intervals, and the mice were followed up for 28 days. 12-LO KO mice were highly resistant to diabetes development compared with control mice and had higher serum insulin levels on day 28. Isolated pancreatic islets were treated with IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma for 18 hours. Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in cytokine-treated islets from C57/BL6 mice decreased 54% from that of untreated islets. In marked contrast, the same cytokine mix led to only a 26% decrease in islets from 12-LO KO mice. Furthermore, cytokine-induced 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) production was absent in 12-LO KO islets but present in C57/BL6 islets. Isolated peritoneal macrophages were stimulated for 48 hours with IFN-gamma + LPS and compared for nitrate/nitrite generation. 12-LO KO macrophages generated 50% less nitrate/nitrite when compared with C57BL/6 macrophages. In summary, elimination of leukocyte 12-LO in mice ameliorates low dose streptozotocin-induced diabetes by increasing islet resistance to cytokines and decreasing macrophage production of nitric oxide.

Studies of the role of group VI phospholipase A2 in fatty acid incorporation, phospholipid remodeling, lysophosphatidylcholine generation, and secretagogue-induced arachidonic acid release in pancreatic islets and insulinoma cells

An 84-kDa group VI phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) that does not require Ca2+ for catalysis has been cloned from Chinese hamster ovary cells, murine P388D1 cells, and pancreatic islet beta-cells. A housekeeping role for iPLA2 in generating lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) acceptors for arachidonic acid incorporation into phosphatidylcholine (PC) has been proposed because iPLA2 inhibition reduces LPC levels and suppresses arachidonate incorporation and phospholipid remodeling in P388D1 cells. Because islet beta-cell phospholipids are enriched in arachidonate, we have examined the role of iPLA2 in arachidonate incorporation into islets and INS-1 insulinoma cells. Inhibition of iPLA2 with a bromoenol lactone (BEL) suicide substrate did not suppress and generally enhanced [3H]arachidonate incorporation into these cells in the presence or absence of extracellular calcium at varied time points and BEL concentrations. Arachidonate incorporation into islet phospholipids involved deacylation-reacylation and not de novo synthesis, as indicated by experiments with varied extracellular glucose concentrations and by examining [14C]glucose incorporation into phospholipids. BEL also inhibited islet cytosolic phosphatidate phosphohydrolase (PAPH), but the PAPH inhibitor propranolol did not affect arachidonate incorporation into islet or INS-1 cell phospholipids. Inhibition of islet iPLA2 did not alter the phospholipid head-group classes into which [3H]arachidonate was initially incorporated or its subsequent transfer from PC to other lipids. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometric measurements indicated that inhibition of INS-1 cell iPLA2 accelerated arachidonate incorporation into PC and that inhibition of islet iPLA2 reduced LPC levels by 25%, suggesting that LPC mass does not limit arachidonate incorporation into islet PC. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry measurements indicated that BEL but not propranolol suppressed insulin secretagogue-induced hydrolysis of arachidonate from islet phospholipids. In islets and INS-1 cells, iPLA2 is thus not required for arachidonate incorporation or phospholipid remodeling and may play other roles in these cells.

Human pancreatic islets express mRNA species encoding two distinct catalytically active isoforms of group VI phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) that arise from an exon-skipping mechanism of alternative splicing of the transcript from the iPLA2 gene on chromosome 22q13.1

An 85-kDa Group VI phospholipase A2 enzyme (iPLA2) that does not require Ca2+ for catalysis has recently been cloned from three rodent species. A homologous 88-kDa enzyme has been cloned from human B-lymphocyte lines that contains a 54-amino acid insert not present in the rodent enzymes, but human cells have not previously been observed to express catalytically active iPLA2 isoforms other than the 88-kDa protein. We have cloned cDNA species that encode two distinct iPLA2 isoforms from human pancreatic islet RNA and a human insulinoma cDNA library. One isoform is an 85-kDa protein (short isoform of human iPLA2 (SH-iPLA2)) and the other an 88-kDa protein (long isoform of human iPLA2 (LH-iPLA2)). Transcripts encoding both isoforms are also observed in human promonocytic U937 cells. Recombinant SH-iPLA2 and LH-iPLA2 are both catalytically active in the absence of Ca2+ and inhibited by a bromoenol lactone suicide substrate, but LH-iPLA2 is activated by ATP, whereas SH-iPLA2 is not. The human iPLA2 gene has been found to reside on chromosome 22 in region q13.1 and to contain 16 exons represented in the LH-iPLA2 transcript. Exon 8 is not represented in the SH-iPLA2 transcript, indicating that it arises by an exon-skipping mechanism of alternative splicing. The amino acid sequence encoded by exon 8 of the human iPLA2 gene is proline-rich and shares a consensus motif of PX5PX8HHPX12NX4Q with the proline-rich middle linker domains of the Smad proteins DAF-3 and Smad4. Expression of mRNA species encoding two active iPLA2 isoforms with distinguishable catalytic properties in two different types of human cells demonstrated here may have regulatory or functional implications about the roles of products of the iPLA2 gene in cell biologic processes.