High CIP2A levels correlate with an antiapoptotic phenotype that can be overcome by targeting BCL-XL in chronic myeloid leukemia.

Cancerous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (CIP2A) is a predictive biomarker of disease progression in many malignancies, including imatinib-treated chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Although high CIP2A levels correlate with disease progression in CML, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. In a screen of diagnostic chronic phase samples from patients with high and low CIP2A protein levels, high CIP2A levels correlate with an antiapoptotic phenotype, characterized by downregulation of proapoptotic BCL-2 family members, including BIM, PUMA and HRK, and upregulation of the antiapoptotic protein BCL-XL. These results suggest that the poor prognosis of patients with high CIP2A levels is due to an antiapoptotic phenotype. Disrupting this antiapoptotic phenotype by inhibition of BCL-XL via RNA interference or A-1331852, a novel, potent and BCL-XL-selective inhibitor, resulted in extensive apoptosis either alone or in combination with imatinib, dasatinib or nilotinib, both in cell lines and in primary CD34(+) cells from patients with high levels of CIP2A. These results demonstrate that BCL-XL is the major antiapoptotic survival protein and may be a novel therapeutic target in CML.

The transrepression arm of glucocorticoid receptor signaling is protective in mutant huntingtin-mediated neurodegeneration.

The unfolded protein response (UPR) occurs following the accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and orchestrates an intricate balance between its prosurvival and apoptotic arms to restore cellular homeostasis and integrity. However, in certain neurodegenerative diseases, the apoptotic arm of the UPR is enhanced, resulting in excessive neuronal cell death and disease progression, both of which can be overcome by modulating the UPR. Here, we describe a novel crosstalk between glucocorticoid receptor signaling and the apoptotic arm of the UPR, thus highlighting the potential of glucocorticoid therapy in treating neurodegenerative diseases. Several glucocorticoids, but not mineralocorticoids, selectively antagonize ER stress-induced apoptosis in a manner that is downstream of and/or independent of the conventional UPR pathways. Using GRT10, a novel selective pharmacological modulator of glucocorticoid signaling, we describe the importance of the transrepression arm of the glucocorticoid signaling pathway in protection against ER stress-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, we also observe the protective effects of glucocorticoids in vivo in a Drosophila model of Huntington's disease (HD), wherein treatment with different glucocorticoids diminished rhabdomere loss and conferred neuroprotection. Finally, we find that growth differentiation factor 15 has an important role downstream of glucocorticoid signaling in antagonizing ER stress-induced apoptosis in cells, as well as in preventing HD-mediated neurodegeneration in flies. Thus, our studies demonstrate that this novel crosstalk has the potential to be effectively exploited in alleviating several neurodegenerative disorders.

Evaluation and critical assessment of putative MCL-1 inhibitors.

High levels of BCL-2 family proteins are implicated in a failed/ineffective apoptotic programme, often resulting in diseases, including cancer. Owing to their potential as drug targets in cancer therapy, several inhibitors of BCL-2 family proteins have been developed. These primarily target specific members of the BCL-2 family, particularly BCL-2 and BCL-XL but are ineffective against MCL-1. Major efforts have been invested in developing inhibitors of MCL-1, which is commonly amplified in human tumours and associated with tumour relapse and chemoresistance. In this report, the specificity of several BCL-2 family inhibitors (ABT-263, UCB-1350883, apogossypol and BH3I-1) was investigated and compared with putative MCL-1 inhibitors designed to exhibit improved or selective binding affinities for MCL-1 (TW-37, BI97C1, BI97C10, BI112D1, compounds 6 and 7, and MCL-1 inhibitor molecule (MIM-1)). ABT-263, BI97C1, BI112D1, MIM-1 and TW-37 exhibited specificity in inducing apoptosis in a Bax/Bak- and caspase-9-dependent manner, whereas the other agents showed no killing activity, or little or no specificity. Of these inhibitors, only ABT-263 and UCB-1350883 induced apoptosis in a BCL-2- or BCL-XL-dependent system. In cells that depend on MCL-1 for survival, ABT-263 and TW-37 induced extensive apoptosis, suggesting that at high concentrations these inhibitors have the propensity to inhibit MCL-1 in a cellular context. TW-37 induced apoptosis, assessed by chromatin condensation, caspase processing and phosphatidylserine externalisation, in a BAK-dependent manner and in cells that require MCL-1 for survival. TW-37-mediated apoptosis was also partly dependent on NOXA, suggesting that derivatives of TW-37, if engineered to exhibit better selectivity and efficacy at low nanomolar concentrations, may provide useful lead compounds for further synthetic programmes. Expanded medicinal chemistry iteration, as performed for the ABT series, may likewise improve the potency and specificity of the evaluated MCL-1 inhibitors.

A novel cellular stress response characterised by a rapid reorganisation of membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum.

Canonical endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which occurs in many physiological and disease processes, results in activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR). We now describe a new, evolutionarily conserved cellular stress response characterised by a striking, but reversible, reorganisation of ER membranes that occurs independently of the UPR, resulting in impaired ER transport and function. This reorganisation is characterised by a dramatic redistribution and clustering of ER membrane proteins. ER membrane aggregation is regulated, in part, by anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family members, particularly MCL-1. Using connectivity mapping, we report the widespread occurrence of this stress response by identifying several structurally diverse chemicals from different pharmacological classes, including antihistamines, antimalarials and antipsychotics, which induce ER membrane reorganisation. Furthermore, we demonstrate the potential of ER membrane aggregation to result in pathological consequences, such as the long-QT syndrome, a cardiac arrhythmic abnormality, arising because of a novel trafficking defect of the human ether-a-go-go-related channel protein from the ER to the plasma membrane. Thus, ER membrane reorganisation is a feature of a new cellular stress pathway, clearly distinct from the UPR, with important consequences affecting the normal functioning of the ER.

NOXA, a sensor of proteasome integrity, is degraded by 26S proteasomes by an ubiquitin-independent pathway that is blocked by MCL-1.

Ubiquitin (Ub)-mediated proteasome-dependent proteolysis is critical in regulating multiple biological processes including apoptosis. We show that the unstructured BH3-only protein, NOXA, is degraded by an Ub-independent mechanism requiring 19S regulatory particle (RP) subunits of the 26S proteasome, highlighting the possibility that other unstructured proteins reported to be degraded by 20S proteasomes in vitro may be bona fide 26S proteasome substrates in vivo. A lysine-less NOXA (NOXA-LL) mutant, which is not ubiquitinated, is degraded at a similar rate to wild-type NOXA. Myeloid cell leukemia 1, but not other anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family proteins, stabilizes NOXA by interaction with the NOXA BH3 domain. Depletion of 19S RP subunits, but not alternate proteasome activator REG subunits, increases NOXA half-life in vivo. A NOXA-LL mutant, which is not ubiquitinated, also requires an intact 26S proteasome for degradation. Depletion of the 19S non-ATPase subunit, PSMD1 induces NOXA-dependent apoptosis. Thus, disruption of 26S proteasome function by various mechanisms triggers the rapid accumulation of NOXA and subsequent cell death strongly implicating NOXA as a sensor of 26S proteasome integrity.

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring cell death in higher eukaryotes.

Cell death is essential for a plethora of physiological processes, and its deregulation characterizes numerous human diseases. Thus, the in-depth investigation of cell death and its mechanisms constitutes a formidable challenge for fundamental and applied biomedical research, and has tremendous implications for the development of novel therapeutic strategies. It is, therefore, of utmost importance to standardize the experimental procedures that identify dying and dead cells in cell cultures and/or in tissues, from model organisms and/or humans, in healthy and/or pathological scenarios. Thus far, dozens of methods have been proposed to quantify cell death-related parameters. However, no guidelines exist regarding their use and interpretation, and nobody has thoroughly annotated the experimental settings for which each of these techniques is most appropriate. Here, we provide a nonexhaustive comparison of methods to detect cell death with apoptotic or nonapoptotic morphologies, their advantages and pitfalls. These guidelines are intended for investigators who study cell death, as well as for reviewers who need to constructively critique scientific reports that deal with cellular demise. Given the difficulties in determining the exact number of cells that have passed the point-of-no-return of the signaling cascades leading to cell death, we emphasize the importance of performing multiple, methodologically unrelated assays to quantify dying and dead cells.

Different forms of cell death induced by putative BCL2 inhibitors.

Several inhibitors of BCL2 proteins have been identified that induce apoptosis in a variety of tumor cells, indicating their potential in cancer therapy. We investigated the specificity of six putative BCL2 inhibitors (obatoclax, gossypol, apogossypol, EM20-25, chelerythrine and ABT-737). Using cells deficient either for Bax/Bak or caspase-9, we found that only ABT-737 specifically targeted BCL2 proteins and induced apoptosis by activation of caspase-9, as only ABT-737 induced apoptosis was completely inhibited in cells deficient for Bax/Bak or caspase-9. Our data show that only ABT-737 is a specific BCL2 inhibitor and all other compounds investigated were not specific for BCL2 proteins. Furthermore, investigations of the effects of these compounds in primary chronic lymphocytic leukemic cells showed that all compounds induced certain biochemical hallmarks of apoptosis, such as release of cytochrome c and caspase cleavage. However, they all caused strikingly different ultrastructural changes. ABT-737 induced all the characteristic ultrastructural changes of apoptosis together with early rupture of the outer mitochondrial membrane, whereas obatoclax, chlelerythrine and gossypol induced pronounced mitochondrial swelling with formation of phospholipid inclusions. Therefore, we conclude that biochemical measurements used earlier to define apoptosis like mitochondrial release of cytochrome c and caspase cleavage, are insufficient to distinguish between classic apoptosis and other forms of cell death.

Ordering of caspases in cells undergoing apoptosis by the intrinsic pathway.

Caspases are a family of aspartate-specific cysteine proteases responsible for the biochemical and morphological changes that occur during the execution phase of apoptosis. The hierarchical ordering of caspases has been clearly established using dATP-activated cell lysates to model the intrinsic pathway induced by initial mitochondrial perturbation. In this model, caspase-9, the apical caspase, directly processes and activates the effector caspases, caspase-3 and -7, and then active caspase-3 but not caspase-7, processes caspase-2 and -6, and subsequently the activated caspase-6 processes caspase-8 and -10. To address the possibility that this model in vitro system might not reflect the precise ordering of caspases in intact cells, we have examined this possibility in cells induced to undergo apoptosis by activation of the intrinsic pathway. We have used caspase deficient cells, small interference RNA for caspase-6 and -7, and a specific caspase-3 inhibitor. In contrast to the earlier in vitro studies, we now show that in intact cells caspase-7 can also directly process and activate caspase-2 and -6. The processing of caspase-2 and -6 occurs within the cytoplasm and active caspase-6 is then responsible for both the processing of caspase-8 and the cleavage of caspase-6 substrates, including lamin A/C.

Bcl-2 inhibitors: small molecules with a big impact on cancer therapy.

Despite tremendous advances over the last 15 years in understanding fundamental mechanisms of apoptosis, this has failed to translate into improved cancer therapy for patients. However, there may now be light at the end of this long tunnel. Antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members may be divided into two subclasses, one comprising Bcl-2, Bcl-X(L) and Bcl-w and the other Mcl-1 and Bcl2A1. Neutralization of both subclasses is required for apoptosis induction. Solution of the structure of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins has led to the design of novel small molecule inhibitors. Although many such molecules have been synthesized, rigorous verification of their specificity has often been lacking. Further studies have revealed that many putative Bcl-2 inhibitors are not specific and have other cellular targets, resulting in non-mechanism based toxicity. Two notable exceptions are ABT-737 and a related orally active derivative, ABT-263, which bind with high affinity to Bcl-2, Bcl-X(L) and Bcl-w and may prove to be useful tools for mechanistic studies. ABT-263 is in early clinical trials in lymphoid malignancies, small-cell lung cancer and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and some patients have shown promising results. In in vitro studies, primary cells from patients with various B-cell malignancies are exquisitely sensitive to ABT-737, exhibiting novel morphological features of apoptosis including marked outer mitochondrial membrane rupture.

A novel paradigm for rapid ABT-737-induced apoptosis involving outer mitochondrial membrane rupture in primary leukemia and lymphoma cells.

Primary chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells are exquisitely sensitive to ABT-737, a small molecule BCL2-antagonist, which induces many of the classical biochemical and ultrastructural features of apoptosis, including BAX/BAK oligomerization, cytochrome c release, caspase activation and chromatin condensation. Surprisingly, ABT-737 also induces mitochondrial inner membrane permeabilization (MIMP) resulting in mitochondrial matrix swelling and rupture of the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM), so permitting the rapid efflux of cytochrome c from mitochondrial cristae and facilitating rapid caspase activation and apoptosis. BAX and BAK appear to be involved in the OMM discontinuities as they localize to the OMM break points. Notably, ABT-737 induced mitochondrial matrix swelling and OMM discontinuities in other primary B-cell malignancies, including mantle cell, follicular and marginal zone lymphoma cells but not in several cell lines studied. Thus, we describe a new paradigm of apoptosis in primary B-cell malignancies, whereby targeting of BCL2 results in all the classical features of apoptosis together with OMM rupture independent of caspase activation. This mechanism may be far more prevalent than hitherto recognized due to the failure of most methods, used to measure apoptosis, to recognize such a mechanism.

P73 and caspase-cleaved p73 fragments localize to mitochondria and augment TRAIL-induced apoptosis.

The p73 protein, a member of the p53 family, has both developmental and tumorigenic functions. Here we show that p73 is cleaved by caspase-3 and -8 both in vitro and in vivo during apoptosis elicited by DNA-damaging drugs and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptor ligation. TAp73 and some of its cleavage products are localized to mitochondria. siRNA-mediated downregulation of p73 expression induced a small but significant change in the susceptibility of HCT116 cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. A transcription-deficient mutant of TAp73 enhanced TRAIL-induced apoptosis suggesting that p73 protein has transcription-independent functions during death receptor-mediated apoptosis. Additionally, recombinant p73 protein induced cytochrome c release from isolated mitochondria providing evidence that nonnuclear p73 may have additional functions in the progression of apoptosis.

Downregulation of Mcl-1 potentiates HDACi-mediated apoptosis in leukemic cells.

Mcl-1 is an antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family member, whose degradation is supposedly required for the induction of apoptosis. However, histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) induce apoptosis primarily through the Bak/Mcl-1/Noxa and Bim pathways without decreasing Mcl-1. To investigate this discrepancy, we examined the role of Mcl-1 on HDACi-mediated apoptosis. Inhibition of either class I or class II HDAC by selective HDACi caused an upregulation of Mcl-1 mRNA and protein. Downregulation of Mcl-1 by three structurally unrelated cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors potentiated HDACi-mediated apoptosis in primary chronic lymphocytic leukemic (CLL) cells and K562 cells. Sensitivity to HDACi-induced apoptosis was increased approximately 10-fold by the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors. Nanomolar concentrations of HDACi, approximately 300-fold lower than that required to induce apoptosis alone, sensitized cells to TRAIL, emphasizing that the mechanism(s) whereby HDACi induce apoptosis is clearly distinct from those by which they sensitize to TRAIL. Furthermore, knockdown of Mcl-1-potentiated HDACi-mediated apoptosis in K562 cells. Thus, HDACi-mediated Mcl-1 upregulation plays an important antiapoptotic regulatory role in limiting the efficacy of HDACi-induced apoptosis, which can be overcome by combination with an agent that downregulates Mcl-1. Thus, a clinical trial in some cancers is warranted using a combination of an HDACi with agents that downregulate Mcl-1.

Apoptosis induced by histone deacetylase inhibitors in leukemic cells is mediated by Bim and Noxa.

Several histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), which have recently entered early clinical trials, exert their anticancer activity in part through the induction of apoptosis although the precise mechanism of this induction is not known. Induction of apoptosis by structurally diverse HDACi in primary cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and different leukemic cell lines was mediated by the Bcl-2 regulated intrinsic pathway and demonstrated a requirement for de novo protein synthesis. A marked time-dependent induction of the pro-apoptotic BH3-only proteins, Bim, Noxa and Bmf was observed, which preceded the induction of apoptosis. A key role for both Bim and Noxa was proposed in HDACi-mediated apoptosis based on our findings that siRNA for Bim and Noxa but not Bmf largely prevented the HDACi-induced loss in mitochondrial membrane potential, caspase processing and phosphatidylserine externalization. Noxa, induced by HDACi, in CLL cells and tumor cell lines, bound extensively to Mcl-1, a major anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member present in CLL cells. Our data strongly suggests that HDACi induce apoptosis primarily through inactivation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members by increases in Bim and Noxa and highlights these increases as a potential clinical target for CLL/lymphoma therapy.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemic cells exhibit apoptotic signaling via TRAIL-R1.

Clinical trials have been initiated with Apo2L/TRAIL (Genentech) and agonistic mAbs to TRAIL receptors, -R1 and -R2 (Human Genome Sciences). The apoptosis-inducing ability of these mAbs and different TRAIL preparations, in the presence or absence of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), varied markedly against primary chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) cells and various tumor cell lines, demonstrating an unanticipated preferential apoptotic signaling via either TRAIL-R1 or -R2. Contrary to literature reports that TRAIL-induced apoptosis occurs primarily via signaling through TRAIL-R2, CLL cells, in the presence of HDACi, undergo predominantly TRAIL-R1-mediated apoptosis. Consequently, Apo2L/TRAIL, which signals primarily through TRAIL-R2, is virtually devoid of activity against CLL cells. To maximize therapeutic benefit, it is essential to ascertain whether a primary tumor signals via TRAIL-R1/-R2, prior to initiating therapy. Thus combination of an agonistic TRAIL-R1 Ab and an HDACi, such as the anticonvulsant sodium valproate, could be of value in treating CLL.

Increased sensitivity to TRAIL-induced apoptosis occurs during the adenoma to carcinoma transition of colorectal carcinogenesis.

The death ligand TRAIL (Apo2L) has potential for cancer therapy, since tumour cells are thought to be more sensitive than normal cells. We investigated whether sensitivity to TRAIL increases during the adenoma to carcinoma transition of colorectal carcinogenesis. Under the same culture conditions, we compared the extent of TRAIL-induced apoptosis in four premalignant adenoma and three carcinoma cell lines. Although TRAIL induced some apoptosis in adenoma cultures, the carcinoma cell lines were significantly more sensitive (P<0.001). This finding was recapitulated in an in vitro model of tumour progression in which conversion of the adenoma cell line AA/C1 to a tumorigenic phenotype was associated with increased TRAIL sensitivity (P<0.001). Increased TRAIL sensitivity during colorectal carcinogenesis has been previously attributed to changes in the balance between TRAIL receptors TRAIL-R1 and -R2 and "decoy" receptors TRAIL-R3 and -R4 during malignant progression. To address this, cell surface receptor expression was measured by flow cytometry. In summary, during colorectal carcinogenesis, there is a marked increase in sensitivity to TRAIL-induced apoptosis associated with progression from benign to malignant tumour that could be exploited for colon cancer therapy, but alterations in cell surface TRAIL receptor expression may not be the primary reason for this change.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors potentiate TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced apoptosis in lymphoid malignancies.

New therapies are required for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), an incurable disease characterized by failure of mature lymphocytes to undergo apoptosis. Activation of cell surface death receptors, such as via TRAIL receptor ligation, may provide a novel therapeutic target for various malignancies. However, CLL and other lymphoid malignancies are resistant to TRAIL. We report that low concentrations of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, such as depsipeptide, which alone failed to induce apoptosis, markedly sensitize CLL cells and other primary lymphoid malignancies to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. These combinations caused little or no toxicity to normal lymphocytes. HDAC inhibitors sensitized resistant cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis by facilitating formation of an active death-inducing signalling complex (DISC), leading to the rapid activation of caspase-8. The facilitated DISC formation also occurred in the absence of TRAIL-R2 upregulation. Thus, the combination of HDAC inhibitors and TRAIL may be valuable in the treatment of various hemopoietic malignancies.

CDDO induces apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway in lymphoid cells.

The peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma agonist, CDDO, is under investigation for use in various malignancies. The mechanisms by which CDDO induces apoptosis are controversial. We have therefore sought to determine these mechanisms using primary chronic lymphocyte leukemic (CLL) cells and Jurkat cell lines with defined apoptotic abnormalities. In these cells, CDDO induced-apoptosis involved caspase-independent loss in mitochondrial membrane potential followed by caspase processing. The pattern of CDDO-induced caspase processing, defined by use of a caspase inhibitor, strongly suggested that caspase-9 was the apical caspase. Moreover, CDDO induced apoptosis in caspase-8 and FADD-deficient but not in Bcl-xL overexpressing Jurkat cells. In CLL cells, CDDO induced an early release of mitochondrial cytochrome c and Smac that preceded apoptosis. Thus, in both cell types, CDDO induced apoptosis primarily by the intrinsic pathway with caspase-9 as the apical caspase. This has important implications in the design of novel agents for the treatment of CLL and other malignancies.

Bisindolylmaleimide IX is a potent inducer of apoptosis in chronic lymphocytic leukaemic cells and activates cleavage of Mcl-1.

New agents are required for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). We show here that a protein kinase C inhibitor, bisindolylmaleimide IX, is a potent inducer of apoptosis in CLL cells, and investigate the mechanisms by which this is induced. Bisindolylmaleimide IX induced a conformational change and subcellular redistribution of Bax from the cytosol to the mitochondria, resulting in the release of the proapoptotic mediators cytochrome c, Smac and Omi/HtrA2 from the mitochondrial inner membrane space. This was followed by the activation of caspase-9 as the apical caspase and subsequent activation of effector caspases. CLL cells undergoing apoptosis showed a rapid caspase-mediated cleavage of Mcl-1, an antiapoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family implicated in CLL survival and poor prognosis. This cleavage was mediated primarily by caspase-3. Cleavage of Mcl-1 may provide a feed-forward amplification loop, resulting in the rapid induction of apoptosis. Bisindolylmaleimide IX or a related derivative may be of clinical use in the treatment of CLL.