scholarly journals Functions of BCL-XLat the Interface between Cell Death and Metabolism

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Michels ◽  
Oliver Kepp ◽  
Laura Senovilla ◽  
Delphine Lissa ◽  
Maria Castedo ◽  
...  

The BCL-2 homolog BCL-XL, one of the two protein products ofBCL2L1, has originally been characterized for its prominent prosurvival functions. Similar to BCL-2, BCL-XLbinds to its multidomain proapoptotic counterparts BAX and BAK, hence preventing the formation of lethal pores in the mitochondrial outer membrane, as well as to multiple BH3-only proteins, thus interrupting apical proapoptotic signals. In addition, BCL-XLhas been suggested to exert cytoprotective functions by sequestering a cytosolic pool of the pro-apoptotic transcription factor p53 and by binding to the voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1), thereby inhibiting the so-called mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT). Thus, BCL-XLappears to play a prominent role in the regulation of multiple distinct types of cell death, including apoptosis and regulated necrosis. More recently, great attention has been given to the cell death-unrelated functions of BCL-2-like proteins. In particular, BCL-XLhas been shown to modulate a number of pathophysiological processes, including—but not limited to—mitochondrial ATP synthesis, protein acetylation, autophagy and mitosis. In this short review article, we will discuss the functions of BCL-XLat the interface between cell death and metabolism.

1999 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
pp. 167-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Crompton ◽  
Sukaina Virji ◽  
Veronica Doyle ◽  
Nicholas Johnson ◽  
John M. Ward

This chapter reviews recent advances in the identification of the structural elements of the permeability transition pore. The discovery that cyclosporin A (CsA) inhibits the pore proved instrumental. Various approaches indicate that CsA blocks the pore by binding to cyclophilin (CyP)-D. In particular, covalent labelling of CyP-D in situ by a photoactive CsA derivative has shown that pore ligands have the same effects on the degree to which CsA both blocks the pore and binds to CyP-D. The recognition that CyP-D is a key component has enabled the other constituents to be resolved. Use of a CyP-D fusion protein as affinity matrix has revealed that CyP-D binds very strongly to 1:1 complexes of the voltage-dependent anion channel (from the outer membrane) and adenine nucleotide translocase (inner membrane). Our current model envisages that the pore arises as a complex between these three components at contact sites between the mitochondrial inner and outer membranes. This is in line with recent reconstitutions of pore activity from protein fractions containing these proteins. The strength of interaction between these proteins suggests that it may be a permanent feature rather than assembled only under pathological conditions. Calcium, the key activator of the pore, does not appear to affect pore assembly; rather, an allosteric action allowing pore flicker into an open state is indicated. CsA inhibits pore flicker and lowers the binding affinity for calcium. Whether adenine nucleotide translocase or the voltage-dependent anion channel (via inner membrane insertion) provides the inner membrane pore has not been settled, and data relevant to this issue are also documented.


Circulation ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 118 (suppl_18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qunli Cheng ◽  
Zeljko J Bosnjak ◽  
Wai-Meng Kwok

The mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) has been implicated as the end effector in ischemic and pharmacological preconditioning. Though the molecular composition of the mPTP is thought to consist of cyclophilin D located in the mitochondrial matrix, adenine nucleotide translocase on the inner mitochondrial membrane, and the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) on the outer mitochondrial membrane, recent studies have raised the possibility that VDAC may be a regulatory, rather than a major, component of mPTP. Nevertheless, VDAC is likely to be a critical component of the preconditioning signaling pathway since it is the main conduit for metabolite diffusion across the mitochondrial outer membrane. Yet, the direct measurements of cardiac VDAC activity and modulation have been limited. In the present study, we purified VDAC from rat hearts using standard procedure and investigated its modulation by phosphatase and hexokinase. VDAC was incorporated into planar lipid bilayer for measurements of channel activities. The channel exhibited the reported voltage-dependent gating. Several conductance states were identified, with the most prevalent between 1.5 to 2 nS in 0.5 M NaCl. Koenig’s polyanion, a VDAC blocker, triggered channel flickering and decreased the mean current by 78±6%. In the presence of phosphatase (1 unit/ml), the mean conductance significantly increased from 1.81±0.03 to 3.68±0.61 nS (n=9; mean±SEM). However, the addition of a recombinant hexokinase (5 units/ml; GenWay Biotech) had no significant effect on the phosphatase-enhanced VDAC current (n=4). In contrast, recombinant hexokinase alone significantly decreased the mean conductance from 1.75±0.05 to 0.79±0.19 nS (n=4). The addition of phosphatase reversed the inhibitory effect of hexokinase and further enhanced VDAC activity, increasing the mean conductance to 2.69±0.19 nS (n=4). Our results suggest that the dephosphorylation of VDAC prevents the inhibitory effects of hexokinase. Furthermore, VDAC activity suppressed by hexokinase can be reversed by dephosphorylation of the channel. In conclusion, we have reported on a novel observation at the functional level that basal phosphorylation of the cardiac VDAC may be required for its modulation by hexokinase.


2004 ◽  
Vol 377 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heftsi AZOULAY-ZOHAR ◽  
Adrian ISRAELSON ◽  
Salah ABU-HAMAD ◽  
Varda SHOSHAN-BARMATZ

In tumour cells, elevated levels of mitochondria-bound isoforms of hexokinase (HK-I and HK-II) result in the evasion of apoptosis, thereby allowing the cells to continue proliferating. The molecular mechanisms by which bound HK promotes cell survival are not yet fully understood. Our studies relying on the purified mitochondrial outer membrane protein VDAC (voltage-dependent anion channel), isolated mitochondria or cells in culture suggested that the anti-apoptotic activity of HK-I occurs via modulation of the mitochondrial phase of apoptosis. In the present paper, a direct interaction of HK-I with bilayer-reconstituted purified VDAC, inducing channel closure, is demonstrated for the first time. Moreover, HK-I prevented the Ca2+-dependent opening of the mitochondrial PTP (permeability transition pore) and release of the pro-apoptotic protein cytochrome c. The effects of HK-I on VDAC activity and PTP opening were prevented by the HK reaction product glucose 6-phosphate, a metabolic intermediate in most biosynthetic pathways. Furthermore, glucose 6-phosphate re-opened both the VDAC and the PTP closed by HK-I. The HK-I-mediated effects on VDAC and PTP were not observed using either yeast HK or HK-I lacking the N-terminal hydrophobic peptide responsible for binding to mitochondria, or in the presence of an antibody specific for the N-terminus of HK-I. Finally, HK-I overexpression in leukaemia-derived U-937 or vascular smooth muscle cells protected against staurosporine-induced apoptosis, with a decrease of up to 70% in cell death. These results offer insight into the mechanisms by which bound HK promotes tumour cell survival, and suggests that its overexpression not only ensures supplies of energy and phosphometabolites, but also reflects an anti-apoptotic defence mechanism.


2001 ◽  
Vol 155 (6) ◽  
pp. 1003-1016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muniswamy Madesh ◽  
György Hajnóczky

Enhanced formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide (O2·−), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) may result in either apoptosis or other forms of cell death. Here, we studied the mechanisms underlying activation of the apoptotic machinery by ROS. Exposure of permeabilized HepG2 cells to O2·− elicited rapid and massive cytochrome c release (CCR), whereas H2O2 failed to induce any release. Both O2·− and H2O2 promoted activation of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore by Ca2+, but Ca2+-dependent pore opening was not required for O2·−-induced CCR. Furthermore, O2·− alone evoked CCR without damage of the inner mitochondrial membrane barrier, as mitochondrial membrane potential was sustained in the presence of extramitochondrial ATP. Strikingly, pretreatment of the cells with drugs or an antibody, which block the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), prevented O2·−-induced CCR. Furthermore, VDAC-reconstituted liposomes permeated cytochrome c after O2·− exposure, and this release was prevented by VDAC blocker. The proapoptotic protein, Bak, was not detected in HepG2 cells and O2·−-induced CCR did not depend on Bax translocation to mitochondria. O2·−-induced CCR was followed by caspase activation and execution of apoptosis. Thus, O2·− triggers apoptosis via VDAC-dependent permeabilization of the mitochondrial outer membrane without apparent contribution of proapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins.


2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 3125-3136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atan Gross ◽  
Kirsten Pilcher ◽  
Elizabeth Blachly-Dyson ◽  
Emy Basso ◽  
Jennifer Jockel ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The BCL-2 family includes both proapoptotic (e.g., BAX and BAK) and antiapoptotic (e.g., BCL-2 and BCL-XL) molecules. The cell death-regulating activity of BCL-2 members appears to depend on their ability to modulate mitochondrial function, which may include regulation of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP). We examined the function of BAX and BCL-XL using genetic and biochemical approaches in budding yeast because studies with yeast suggest that BCL-2 family members act upon highly conserved mitochondrial components. In this study we found that in wild-type yeast, BAX induced hyperpolarization of mitochondria, production of reactive oxygen species, growth arrest, and cell death; however, cytochrome c was not released detectably despite the induction of mitochondrial dysfunction. Coexpression of BCL-XL prevented all BAX-mediated responses. We also assessed the function of BCL-XL and BAX in the same strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with deletions of selected mitochondrial proteins that have been implicated in the function of BCL-2 family members. BAX-induced growth arrest was independent of the tested mitochondrial components, including voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), the catalytic β subunit or the δ subunit of the F0F1-ATP synthase, mitochondrial cyclophilin, cytochrome c, and proteins encoded by the mitochondrial genome as revealed by [rho 0] cells. In contrast, actual cell killing was dependent upon select mitochondrial components including the β subunit of ATP synthase and mitochondrial genome-encoded proteins but not VDAC. The BCL-XL protection from either BAX-induced growth arrest or cell killing proved to be independent of mitochondrial components. Thus, BAX induces two cellular processes in yeast which can each be abrogated by BCL-XL: cell arrest, which does not require aspects of mitochondrial biochemistry, and cell killing, which does.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 446-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine Flinner ◽  
Enrico Schleiff ◽  
Oliver Mirus

The eukaryotic porin superfamily consists of two families, voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) and Tom40, which are both located in the mitochondrial outer membrane. In Trypanosoma brucei , only a single member of the VDAC family has been described. We report the detection of two additional eukaryotic porin-like sequences in T. brucei . By bioinformatic means, we classify both as putative VDAC isoforms.


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