Gene Expression in S49 Deathless (D-) cell variant

The second messenger cAMP acts via protein kinase A (PKA) to induce apoptosis by mechanisms that are poorly understood. Here, we assessed a role for mitochondria and analyzed gene expression in cAMP/PKA-promoted apoptosis by comparing wild-type (WT) S49 lymphoma cells and the S49 variant, D- (cAMP-deathless), which lacks cAMP-promoted apoptosis but has wild-type levels of PKA activity and cAMP-promoted G1 growth arrest. Treatment of WT, but not D-, S49 cells with 8-CPT-cAMP for 24 h induced loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, mitochondrial release of cytochrome c and Smac and increase in caspase-3 activity. Gene expression analysis (using Affymetrix 430 2.0 Arrays) revealed that WT and D- cells incubated with 8-CPT-cAMP have similar, but non-identical, extents of cAMP-regulated gene expression at 2h (~800 transcripts) and 6h (~1000 transcripts) (|Fold|>2, P<0.06); by contrast, at 24h ~2500 and ~1100 transcripts were changed in WT and D- cells, respectively. Using an approach that combined regression analysis, clustering and functional annotation to identify transcripts that showed differential expression between WT and D- cells, we found differences in cAMP-mediated regulation of mRNAs involved in transcriptional repression, apoptosis, the cell cycle, RNA splicing, Golgi and lysosomes. The 2 cell lines differed in CREB phosphorylation and expression of the transcriptional inhibitor Icer and in cAMP-regulated expression of genes in the Inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) and Bcl families. The findings indicate that cAMP/PKA-promoted apoptosis of lymphoid cells occurs via mitochondrial-mediated events and imply that such apoptosis involves gene networks in multiple biochemical pathways.

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Zhang L, Zambon AC, Vranizan K, Pothula K, Conklin BR, Insel PA