hRFI overexpressed in HCT116 cells modulates Bcl-2 family proteins when treated with 5-fluorouracil

Oncol Rep. 2006 May;15(5):1293-8. doi: 10.3892/or.15.5.1293.

Abstract

Exogenous overexpression of hRFI, originally isolated in our laboratory, inhibits not only death receptor-mediated apoptosis but also the mitochondrial apoptosis induced by several chemotherapeutic agents including 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Recently, it has become clear that hRFI targets and degradates caspase-8 and -10 in death receptor-mediated apoptosis by E3 ubiquitin activity in a ring finger domain homologous to that of X-chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP). However, the cellular mechanism of the inhibition of mitochondrial apoptosis by hRFI has not been fully elucidated. We prepared HCT116 overexpressing hRFI (HCT116/hRFI) cells and comprehensively analyzed the expression changes of 51 apoptosis-related genes with or without 5-FU treatment between HCT116/hRFI and mock cells using microfluidic low-density arrays. As a result, we identified four genes (Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, cIAP2, and CFLAR) whose expression was four or more times higher in HCT116/ hRFI cells than in HCT116/LacZ cells, and found that Bcl-2 and the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax or Bcl-2/Bak were upregulated when HCT116/hRFI cells were treated with 5-FU. Furthermore, we also validated the up-regulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL in HCT116/hRFI cells treated with 5-FU by Western blot analysis. Such evidence suggests that the modulation of Bcl-2 family proteins seen in 5-FU treatment plays an important role in the anti-apoptotic function of HCT116/hRFI cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / pharmacology*
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Carrier Proteins / genetics*
  • Fluorouracil / pharmacology*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / drug effects*
  • HCT116 Cells / drug effects
  • HCT116 Cells / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Microarray Analysis
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / metabolism*
  • Transfection
  • X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein / genetics
  • X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein / metabolism
  • bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein / genetics
  • bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein / metabolism
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein / genetics
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein / metabolism

Substances

  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
  • Carrier Proteins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
  • RNF34 protein, human
  • X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein
  • bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein
  • Fluorouracil