Bcl-2 regulates amplification of caspase activation by cytochrome c
Bcl-2 regulates amplification of caspase activation by cytochrome c
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DOI:
10.1016/s0960-9822(99)80068-2
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发表时间:
1999-02-11
期刊:
影响因子:
9.2
通讯作者:
Clarke, PR
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
Cosulich, SC;Savory, PJ;Clarke, PR
Caspases, a family of specific proteases, have central roles in apoptosis [1], Caspase activation in response to diverse apoptotic stimuli involves the relocalisation of cytochrome c from mitochondria to the cytoplasm where it stimulates the proteolytic processing of caspase precursors. Cytochrome c release is controlled by members of the Bcl-2 family of apoptosis regulators [2,3]. The anti-apoptotic members Bcl-2 and Bcl-x(L) may also control caspase activation independently of cytochrome c relocalisation or may inhibit a positive feedback mechanism [4-7], Here, we investigate the role of Bcl-2 family proteins in the regulation of caspase activation using a model cell-free system. We found that Bcl-2 and Bcl-x(L) set a threshold in the amount of cytochrome c required to activate caspases, even in soluble extracts lacking mitochondria, Addition of dATP (which stimulates the procaspase-processing factor Apaf-1 [8,9]) overcame inhibition of caspase activation by Bcl-2, but did not prevent the control of cytochrome c release from mitochondria by Bcl-2, Cytochrome c release was accelerated by active caspase-3 and this positive feedback was negatively regulated by Bcl-2, These results provide evidence for a mechanism to amplify caspase activation that is suppressed at several distinct steps by Bcl-2, even after cytochrome c is released from mitochondria.