Inhibition of mRNA Interferase-Induced Apoptosis in BAK-Deficient and BAK- and Bax-Deficient Mammalian Cells

摘要

Ribonucleases, antibiotics, bacterial toxins and viruses inhibit protein synthesis, which results in apoptosis in mammalian cells. How the BCL-2 family of proteins regulates apoptosis in response to shutoff of protein synthesis is not known. According to the present invention, an Escherichia coli toxin MazF inhibited protein synthesis by cleavage of cellular mRNA, and induced apoptosis in mammalian cells. MazF-induced apoptosis required proapoptotic BAK and its upstream regulator, the proapoptotic BH3-only protein NBK/BIK, but not BIM, PUMA or NOXA. Furthermore, NBK/BIK- or BAK-deficient cells were resistant to cell death induced by pharmacologic inhibition of translation and by virus-mediated shutoff of protein synthesis. Thus, the BH3-only protein NBK/BIK is the apical regulator of a BAK-dependent apoptotic pathway in response to shutoff of protein synthesis. Although NBK/BIK is dispensable for development, it is the BH3-only protein targeted for inactivation by viruses, suggesting that it plays a role in pathogen/toxin response through apoptosis activation.