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J Biol Chem, Vol. 275, Issue 13, 9725-9733, March 31, 2000


Rho Family Proteins Modulate Rapid Apoptosis Induced by Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes and Fas*

M. Cecilia SubausteDagger , Matthias Von Herrath§, Valerie BenardDagger , Chester E. ChamberlainDagger , Tsung-Hsien Chuang, Keting Chu||, Gary M. BokochDagger , and Klaus M. HahnDagger **

From the Departments of Dagger  Cell Biology and  Immunology and the § Neuropharmacology Department, Division of Virology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037 and || Chiron Corporation, Emeryville, California 94608-2916

    ABSTRACT
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Little is known about the role of Rho proteins in apoptosis produced by stimuli evolved specifically to produce apoptosis, such as granzymes from cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and Fas. Here we demonstrate that all three Rho family members are involved in CTL- and Fas-induced killing. Dominant-negative mutants of each Rho family member and Clostridium difficile toxin B, an inhibitor of all family members, strongly inhibited the susceptibility of cells to CTL- and Fas-induced apoptosis. Fas-induced caspase-3 activation was inhibited by C. difficile toxin. Activated mutants of each GTPase increased susceptibility to apoptosis, and activation of Cdc42 increased within 5 min of Fas stimulation. In contrast, during the time required for CTL and Fas killing, no apoptosis was produced by dominant-negative or activated mutants or by C. difficile toxin alone. Inhibition of actin polymerization using latrunculin A reduced the ability of constitutively active GTPase mutants to stimulate apoptosis and blocked Fas-induced activation of caspase-3. Furthermore, the ability of Rac to enhance apoptosis was decreased by point mutations reported to block Rac induction of actin polymerization. Rho family proteins may regulate apoptosis through their effects on the actin cytoskeleton.

    INTRODUCTION
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Apoptosis is a form of "cell suicide" in which cells fragment their cytoplasm, nucleus, and DNA for orderly disposal (1, 2). It is ubiquitous and essential to normal homeostasis in higher animals and is important in modulating immune cell populations for defense against cancer and virus-infected cells (3, 4). Apoptosis is induced through activation of caspases, which activate one another in a proteolytic cascade (5), leading to cleavage of cytoskeletal and signaling molecules that result in irreversible changes in cell morphology and the plasma membrane (6-10).

The Rho family of small GTPases plays a role in the terminal morphological changes of apoptosis (11), but previous reports present conflicting data about its role in apoptosis induction. Apoptotic signaling pathways can be grouped into two distinct categories (12): mechanisms that induce rapid apoptosis through specific molecules that have evolved to produce cell death (i.e. Fas ligand or cytotoxic T cell granzymes) (12) and pathways that lead to apoptosis when normal homeostatic signaling is disrupted (13-15). Examples of the latter type of perturbation include serum withdrawal (13), detachment from extracellular matrix (14), and an imbalance of survival homeostatic signaling pathways (15). Numerous studies of Rho family signaling in such pathways have revealed that the GTPases play a complex role, participating in both stimulatory and inhibitory paradigms (16-18). Downstream mediators for positive (i.e. c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)1) and negative (i.e. Akt) effects have been identified. In contrast, much less is known about Rho family signaling in apoptosis produced by CTLs, Fas, and other molecules directly inducing apoptosis. Here we show that Rho family GTPases play a stimulatory role in CTL- and Fas-induced apoptosis.

The Rho family of small GTPases consists of three proteins (Cdc42, Rac, and Rho) that interact with downstream effectors upon binding to GTP. Their nucleotide state and localization are controlled by >40 currently identified regulatory factors, including guanine nucleotide exchange factors, GDP dissociation inhibitors, and GTPase-activating proteins (19-23). Rho family proteins have been implicated in controlling both transcriptional activation and a wide range of cell morphological changes, including mitosis, nerve outgrowth, and immune cell motility (24-30). Their effects on cell shape are mediated by regulation of the actin-myosin cytoskeleton, and each of the family members has been shown to have different specific effects on actin in studies of fibroblast morphology (31-33). Rho stimulates formation of stress fibers and impacts on focal adhesion formation; Rac promotes cell ruffles and lamellipodia; and Cdc42 controls the extension of filopodia (34). The Rho GTPases also influence each other's activity: Cdc42 activates Rac and can antagonize Rho activation, and in more limited cases, Rac can activate Rho (33, 34).

Rho family proteins can coordinate multiple signaling pathways through their ability to regulate both the cytoskeleton and transcription. They induce rearrangements of the actin scaffolding to control the organization and interactions of signaling molecules (35, 36), whereas they directly stimulate transcriptional cascades (24-26). They also control the formation of "signaling organelles" such as focal adhesion complexes that affect both extracellular matrix signaling and anchor actin fibers (37). Proteins that modulate Rho family nucleotide state contain both catalytic and localization domains (19-23), indicating that control of cell morphology through localization of Rho family activity is coordinated with activation of downstream pathways. This information suggested to us that the Rho proteins might also regulate the signaling events controlling rapid apoptosis through control of the actin cytoskeleton. We show here that, although Rho family GTPases do not themselves induce rapid cell death, their activity is critical for Fas and CTL death signaling. We also show that Rho proteins modulate CTL and Fas signaling through their effects on the actin cytoskeleton.

    EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Cell Lines and Antibodies-- Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells stably transfected with the murine Fcgamma II receptor (38) were kindly provided by Dr. Ira Mellman. This cell line was grown in Dulbecco's modified essential medium (Life Technologies, Inc.) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, 100 units/ml penicillin, and 100 µg/ml streptomycin. CHO cells stably transfected with the extracellular portion of the human CD4 protein fused to the cytoplasmic domain of the murine Fas receptor (39) were grown in Ham's F-12 medium (Life Technologies, Inc.) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, 100 units/ml penicillin, and 100 µg/ml streptomycin. 145-2C11 hybridoma cells producing anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (Manassas, VA). This cell line was grown in Iscove's Dulbecco's modified essential medium supplemented with 20% fetal bovine serum, 100 units/ml penicillin, and 100 µg/ml streptomycin. SV40-transformed African green monkey kidney cells (COS-7) and Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection. Both cell lines were grown in Dulbecco's modified essential medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, 100 units/ml penicillin, and 100 µg/ml streptomycin. Anti-human CD4 monoclonal antibody was obtained from Becton Dickinson (San Jose, CA).

Chromium Release Assay and Induction of CTL Killing-- Specificities and culture conditions of the CTL clones (NP18 and HD8) and procedures for 51Cr release assays of CTL killing were as described previously (40, 41). After 45 min of incubation with 51Cr, target cells were washed and combined with CTLs in 96-well plates at an effector/target ratio of 5:1 and incubated for 5-6 h. The radioactivity released by cells in each assay was compared with detergent-lysed targets as a control for maximal release of 51Cr and with target cells incubated without CTLs as a control for spontaneous release. All CTL assays were performed using triplicate wells with a variation always <15%, and all assays except the dose-response curve in Fig. 1C were performed at least twice. For induction of CTL killing through lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection of target cells, target cells were infected with the virus 48 h prior to assay at a multiplicity of infection of 1. Target cells were MC57 fibroblasts derived from C57 Bl/6 mice (H-2b haplotype) and Balb/clone 7 fibroblasts derived from Balb/c mice (H-2d haplotype). Antibody-redirected killing was also carried out using previously described methods (42). In these assays, CHO cells stably transfected with the Fcgamma II receptor were used as targets, and killing was induced by adding culture supernatant from 145-2C11 hybridoma cells producing anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody. Clostridium toxin B was added to target cells at the indicated concentration 2 h prior to addition of CTLs, and the targets were washed three times with medium prior to CTL addition. Results are reported as a percentage of the maximum possible chromium release, determined by lysing control cells with detergent. Background from spontaneous release in the absence of CTLs was subtracted from each value and was in all cases <5% of that induced by CTLs.

Plasmids and Transfection-- For the construction of mammalian expression vectors for green fluorescent protein (GFP) S65T-GTPase fusion proteins, a GFP S65T cDNA fragment (kindly provided by Dr. Roger Tsien) was subcloned at the BamHI and EcoRI sites into a pcDNA3 expression vector (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA). This cDNA fragment was generated by polymerase chain reaction amplification with two oligonucleotide primers based on the N- and C-terminal sequences of the GFP cDNA, but with the stop codon eliminated from the C-terminal primer. Constitutively active mutants of Rho family GTPases (Cdc42 Q61L, Rac1 Q61L, and RhoA Q63L) and dominant-negative mutants (Cdc42 T17N, Rac1 T17N, and RhoA T19N) were polymerase chain reaction-amplified from pcDNA3 vectors (43) and fused into the GFP vector at the EcoRI and XhoI sites. All of the constructed cDNA vectors were isolated from transformed Escherichia coli cells with QIAGEN cDNA isolation kits. Cells were transfected through nuclear microinjection of log-phase cells with 50 ng/ml DNA in water at 20-30 h prior to the experiment. Rac1 vectors containing F37A and Y40C point mutations were kindly provided by A. Hall (60). Cells were cotransfected through nuclear microinjection with each of these mutants and GFP at concentrations of 50 and 10 ng/ml DNA, respectively. The GTPase-binding domain from human p21-activated kinase (amino acids 67-150) was cloned into the bacterial expression vector pGEX-4T3, expressed in E. coli as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase, and purified as described previously (61).

JNK Assay-- JNK activity was determined using GST-c-Jun as substrate for a solid-phase assay as described (43). HeLa cells were transfected with the GFP-Rho family fusion constructs, and at the indicated times after selection, 8 × 105 cells were lysed in 100 µl of cell lysis buffer (25 mM HEPES (pH 7.5), 300 mM NaCl, 1.5 mM MgCl2, 0.2 mM EDTA, 0.1% Triton X-100, 0.5 mM dithiothreitol, 20 mM beta -glycerophosphate, 1 mM sodium orthovanadate, 0.5 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 5 µg/ml aprotinin, and 0.5 µg/ml leupeptin). 6 µg of GST-c-Jun-(1-79) coupled to glutathione-Sepharose beads was added to clarified lysates and incubated for 3 h at 4 °C. Bead pellets were washed, and kinase assays were performed as described (43). Quantitation was done using a PhosphorImager (Molecular Dynamics, Inc.).

Fas-induced Apoptosis-- These experiments were carried out using CHO cells transfected with a fusion protein in which the intracellular domain of the Fas receptor is coupled to the extracellular domain of CD4. Antibodies against CD4 and cross-linking secondary antibodies were used to induce apoptosis as described previously (39).

Rho GTPase Activation Assay-- The level of Cdc42-GTP was determined using a recently described assay that measures the formation of Cdc42-GTP based on its specific binding to the GTPase-binding domain of p21-activated kinase (61). Target cells (107 cells/ml) were stimulated with Fas for the times indicated. At the appropriate time, cell activation was stopped by addition of ice-cold 2× lysis buffer (50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.5), 10 mM MgCl2, 200 mM NaCl, 2% Nonidet P-40, 10% glycerol, 2 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 2 µg/ml leupeptin, and 2 µg/ml aprotinin). Cells were vortexed and clarified by low speed centrifugation at 4 °C. Guanine nucleotide loading of lysates and affinity precipitation using GST-p21-binding domain were carried out as described (61). The quantity of total protein assayed from the lysate was determined using the BCA protein assay (Pierce).

Live Cell Microscopy for Apoptosis and Cytoskeletal Assays-- CHO/Fc cells were microinjected with vectors expressing GFP fusion proteins and maintained in an incubator for 24 h prior to the experiment. Imaging was performed on subconfluent log-phase CHO cells used 1-2 days after plating. Immediately prior to the experiment, the medium was changed to complete Dulbecco's modified essential medium free of phenol red, but supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. Coverslips with adherent cells were mounted in a sealed Dvorak chamber (Nicholson Instruments) held in a temperature-controlled stage (20/20 Technologies). Microscopy was performed using an Axiovert 100 TV microscope (Carl Zeiss, Inc.) modified with automated stage and filter wheels (LEP Ltd.) and a 40× NA 1.3 objective with differential interference contrast optics (Carl Zeiss, Inc.). Control of microscope automation and image analysis was performed using Inovision ISEE software. Fluorescence images were obtained with a Photometrics PXL cooled charge-coupled device camera with 2 × 2 binning as 12-bit, 658 × 517-pixel arrays using GFP or 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole filter sets (Chromatech Co.). Fluorescence images were contrast-stretched and sharpened for clarity of display using ISEE and Adobe Photoshop software (44). Unless otherwise mentioned, the extent of apoptosis was assessed 3 h after targets were first exposed to CTLs. In the live cell studies shown in Fig. 9, 30 h after injection with DNA, the cells were preincubated with toxin B (12.5 ng/ml) for 2 h, washed thoroughly, and finally treated using the antibody-redirected CTL killing method (see above). Hoechst staining of nuclei was performed as described previously (45). Latrunculin A was used at 2 µg/ml to produce specific inhibition of actin polymerization (46). For CTL-induced apoptosis, target cells were incubated in latrunculin for 1 h and then washed prior to addition of CTLs. In Fas killing experiments, latrunculin was added to the cells for 1 h, followed by addition of antibody to the latrunculin-containing medium for an additional 1 h. Cells were then washed, and antibody was added again. Error bars represent S.E. values calculated for three independent experiments. Each experiment was repeated a minimum of three times. Background cell death in the absence of apoptotic stimuli was subtracted from each value in Fig. 3 (B and C). These background levels were 3.62-6.45% (mean of 4.79%).

Caspase-3 Activity Assay-- The synthetic tetrapeptide fluorogenic substrate N-acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin (Enzyme Systems Products) was used as described previously (47) to identify and quantify caspase-3 activity in apoptotic cells. Release of fluorescent 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin was quantified in cell lysates by spectrofluorometry using excitation at 380 nm and emission at 430-460 nm.

    RESULTS
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

CTL-induced Apoptosis Is Inhibited by Clostridium difficile Toxin B-- To probe whether Rho family proteins play a role in CTL-induced apoptosis, we treated fibroblasts with C. difficile toxin B, an inhibitor of all family members (48), and then assayed the cells' susceptibility to CTL-induced killing. Clostridium toxin has been shown to specifically glucosylate Cdc42, Rac, and Rho (48). The experiments were performed using a well established assay of CTL killing in which target cells that had internalized radioactive chromium were exposed to CTLs, and the amount of radioactive chromium released into the medium was determined (40, 41). Only target cells were treated with toxin, eliminating the possibility that CTLs were being affected by the toxin.

As shown in Fig. 1A, CTL killing was inhibited at least 60% by the toxin, indicating that the activity of at least one of the Rho family proteins was necessary for CTL-induced apoptosis. The CTL clones are very specific for a peptide of precise sequence complexed to a specific allele of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I molecule on the target cell surface (40). When we tested target cells presenting either the wrong peptide or the wrong MHC-I molecule, no killing was observed. This showed that death was not caused by the toxin or by a manipulation of the cells during the experiment, but that death was due to CTL-induced apoptosis.


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Fig. 1.   C. difficile toxin B inhibits CTL-induced apoptosis. The effects of C. difficile toxin B (100 ng/ml), an inhibitor of all three Rho family GTPases, on CTL-induced apoptosis are shown in A. Cell death was assessed by 51Cr release assay. Target cells were incubated with 51Cr, washed, and then combined with CTLs. The radioactivity released by target cells in each assay was compared with that released by detergent-lysed target cells as a control for maximal release of 51Cr and with that released by target cells incubated without CTLs as a control of spontaneous release. The first and last sets of bars show experiments in which the CTL clone and target cell MHC allele were appropriately matched. The second and third sets of bars are controls in which CTLs were specific for MHC alleles not expressed on the targets or in which targets were not infected with virus to induce killing. In B, CTLs were caused to induce apoptosis using an antibody (Ab)-redirected killing method. With this method, the antigen processing and presentation system was bypassed to show that the toxin B effects on CTL-induced apoptosis were not due to alteration of antigen presentation. Treatment with antibody alone did not increase apoptosis. C shows that toxin B inhibited antibody-redirected killing in a dose-dependent manner, with 12.5 ng/ml being the lowest dose that could significantly inhibit cell death. All CTL assays were performed using triplicate wells with a variation always <15%, and all assays except the dose-response curve in C were performed at least twice. LCMV, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus.

We were concerned that the toxin was affecting not the apoptosis of the target cells, but instead cell behaviors involved in activation of the CTLs for killing, including antigen processing or specific interactions between the T cell receptor and the target. To bypass the requirement for antigen presentation and MHC-T cell receptor interactions, the assays were repeated using an antibody-induced CTL activation procedure (38). CHO cells stably transfected with the Fcgamma II receptor were incubated with antibody against CD3epsilon , a component of the T cell receptor, and CTLs were then added. As described previously (42), the Fcgamma II receptor on the target cell binds to the antibody, which binds to the T cell receptor, cross-linking CTLs and the target while activating killing. As shown in Fig. 1B, Clostridium toxin profoundly blocked apoptosis in these experiments, just as it had in CTL killing activated by peptide or virus. The antibody in the absence of CTLs had no effect, showing that CTL-induced apoptosis was responsible for the measured cell death. All CTL killing experiments in the remainder of this study were induced using this antibody-redirected procedure to bypass possible effects on CTL activation and targeting.

Fig. 1C shows that toxin B inhibited antibody-directed killing in a dose-dependent manner. Our studies were carried out at 100 ng/ml, a concentration established in previous reports to be specific for Rho proteins (1000 ng/ml and lower) (48). Transfection of the target cells with constitutively active mutants of Rho family proteins overcame the effects of the toxin, confirming that the toxin acts upon Rho family proteins within cells (data not shown). These studies established that C. difficile toxin B, a specific inhibitor of all Rho GTPases, strongly inhibited the ability of target cells to undergo CTL-stimulated apoptosis.

Rho Proteins Modulate the Induction of Apoptosis by Both CTLs and Fas, but by Themselves, Do Not Cause Apoptosis-- We next examined the effects of transfecting dominant-negative or activated Rho GTPase mutants in the target cells. This enabled us to determine which specific Rho proteins were involved and to examine whether the proteins alone were sufficient to produce apoptosis in the absence of apoptotic stimuli. CHO/Fc cells were transfected through microinjection with GFP fusion proteins of activated or dominant-negative GTPase mutants and maintained alive on the stage of an automated microscope. After addition of CTLs, the behavior of each fluorescent cell was recorded. A cell was considered to have undergone apoptosis when it exhibited a set of clearly discernible apoptotic morphological changes, including blebbing, contraction, and fragmentation (42). This was verified as apoptosis by staining the nuclei with Hoechst dye to confirm that nuclear fragmentation had occurred. As described below, results of these assays were also found to correlate with caspase-3 activation.

It was important to demonstrate that the fusion of GFP to the Rho family proteins did not block their biological activity. As shown in Fig. 2A, Jun kinase activation was substantially enhanced in cells transfected with constitutively active GFP-Rac and GFP-Cdc42, but was only modestly affected by GFP-Rho, consistent with the activity of proteins not fused to GFP (43). In addition, the images shown in Fig. 2B demonstrate that each of the constitutively active mutants produced the previously described characteristic effects on cell morphology (31-33). In three different cell types, GFP-Rho led to stress fiber formation; GFP-Rac produced extensive ruffling; and GFP-Cdc42 led to filopodia formation.


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Fig. 2.   GFP-Rho protein fusions have intact biological activity. JNK activity was determined using a GST-c-Jun solid-phase assay with the c-Jun amino terminus as substrate. As shown in A, Jun phosphorylation was detected in cells transfected with constitutively active Rac and Cdc42, but not with Rho, consistent with the biological activity of GTPase proteins not fused to GFP. The images shown in B demonstrate that each constitutively active mutant produced the previously described characteristic effects on cell morphology. The left panels show the effect of constitutively active Rho. The upper left panel shows stress fibers induced by Rho in the only cell in the field expressing constitutively active GFP-Rho. Expression of Rho in that cell is seen in the lower left panel. The upper middle panel shows active ruffling in a COS-7 cell expressing GFP-fused dominant-positive Rac. No ruffling is seen in the control COS cell expressing GFP alone (lower middle panel). The upper right panel shows filopodial formation in a CHO cell expressing the activated GFP-Cdc42 fusion (see arrows). The lower right panel shows control CHO cells expressing GFP alone. wt, wild-type.

Transfection of CTL target cells with constitutively active or dominant-negative mutants of each Rho family protein alone had little effect, resulting in essentially the same amount of apoptosis as transfection with GFP (Fig. 3A). However, when CTLs were added to the cells 1 h prior to quantitation of apoptosis, both constitutively active and dominant-negative mutants significantly altered the rate of cell death (Fig. 3A). The constitutively active GTPases increased the ability of CTLs to induce apoptosis, whereas dominant-negative proteins reduced killing by CTLs. Thus, although each Rho family mutant was incapable of activating apoptosis by itself at 24 h after transfection, each was able to strongly modulate the induction of apoptotic cell death by CTLs.


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Fig. 3.   Effects of constitutively active and dominant-negative Rho family GTPases on CTL- and Fas-induced apoptosis. In A, target cells were microinjected with vectors expressing constitutively active and dominant-negative GFP-fused constructs of Rho GTPase mutants. The extent of apoptosis was assessed 1 h after CTLs were added. In the absence of CTLs, the GTPases produced only background levels of cell death, but the mutants strongly affected the ability of CTLs to cause apoptosis. Error bars represent S.E. values calculated for three independent experiments. 21-285 cells (mean of 85) were assayed for each experiment. B and C show effects of Rho family GTPase mutants on Fas-induced death. These cells were transfected with constitutively active and dominant-negative GFP fusion constructs of Cdc42 (B) and Rho (C). The extent of apoptosis at different times after Fas stimulation is shown in B. C shows the extent of apoptosis at the 2-h time point. Error bars represent S.E. values calculated for three independent experiments. 20-190 cells (mean of 69) were assayed for each experiment. CHO cells were stably transfected with the extracellular portion of CD4 fused to the cytoplasmic domain of murine Fas. Efficient Fas-induced death was triggered upon incubation with anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody (39). dn, dominant-negative; dp, dominant-positive.

We carried out similar experiments for apoptosis induced by Fas. Here we used CHO cells transfected with a fusion protein consisting of the cytoplasmic portion of the Fas receptor fused to the extracellular domain of CD4. As shown previously, antibody cross-linking of the extracellular portion of this molecule produces efficient killing by the intracellular Fas death domain (39). As in CTL killing experiments, transfection with activated and dominant-negative mutants of Rho and Cdc42 alone had little effect, but the GTPases significantly altered the rate of death produced by Fas (Fig. 3, B and C).

Cytotoxic T cells kill targets using both Fas ligation and cytotoxic granzyme protease injection (49). In our experiments using CTLs, it was very unlikely that death was induced substantially by Fas ligation, as cell death was assessed 1 h after addition of CTLs. Fas requires 3-4 h to begin producing appreciable amounts of apoptotic morphological changes. A comparison of Fig. 3A, which shows the extent of apoptosis 1 h after CTL addition, and Fig. 3B, which shows the kinetics of Fas-induced death, shows this to be true. Previous work has also shown that the granule exocytosis pathway predominates in 4-h CTL killing assays (49).

After determining that Rho protein activity was required for Fas- and CTL-induced apoptosis, we asked whether Cdc42 was activated by Fas ligand or whether the required level of activity was present prior to stimulation. This was addressed by quantifying Fas-induced Cdc42 activation at various times following Fas stimulation (61). Fig. 4 shows that there was a significant increase in the formation of Cdc42-GTP 5 min after Fas stimulation, which then returned to base-line levels within 1 h. This is consistent with active stimulation of Rho family activity by Fas ligation. Activation of Rac with a similar time course has been shown by Gulbins et al. (52).


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Fig. 4.   Cdc42 activation in CHO cells after stimulation of the Fas receptor. Cells were treated with Fas and then lysed and incubated with a GST-tagged fragment of p21-activated kinase that has been shown to bind Cdc42-GTP, but not Cdc42-GDP (61). Horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-GST antibodies were used in the Western blot shown to quantify the extent of Cdc42 activation at 5 and 60 min after Fas treatment. The first lane is a control showing maximal activation, in which cell lysates were preloaded with GTPgamma S. Loading with GDP as a negative control is shown in the second lane, followed by a time point immediately prior to Fas addition (third lane) and at 5 (fourth lane) and 60 (fifth lane) min after addition. It is clear that Cdc42-GTP was elevated at the 5-min time point and that levels return to prestimulation values by 60 min. The experiment was carried out twice with similar results.

Rho Family Effects Are Upstream of Caspase-3 Cleavage-- The apoptosis assays used in the experiments described above relied on morphological changes and nuclear fragmentation as indicators of apoptosis. It was possible that Rho proteins were altering only terminal apoptotic events, rather than affecting the upstream caspase-mediated cleavage cascades. Although it was unlikely that both the nuclear and morphological changes we assayed required activation of Rho GTPases, we sought to verify that the Rho GTPases were involved in the induction phase of cell death. We therefore assayed the ability of Clostridium toxin B to inhibit Fas-induced activation of caspase-3. Activation of this caspase is a critical "commitment" step that triggers multiple terminal pathways leading to morphological, nuclear, and membrane changes in the apoptotic cell. Caspase-3 activation in cell lysates was determined using a fluorogenic substrate assay of caspase-3 (47). Clostridium toxin B blocked Fas-induced caspase-3 activation by >75% (Fig. 5), showing that Rho proteins were involved in steps at or upstream of caspase activation. These experiments clearly demonstrated a role for Rho family GTPases in cellular commitment to apoptosis.


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Fig. 5.   Rho family effects occur upstream of caspase cleavage. The fluorogenic substrate N-acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin was used to quantify caspase-3 activity in cell lysates 2 h after stimulation of Fas-induced killing. Upon preincubation of cells with C. difficile toxin B (100 ng/ml), there was a strong inhibition of caspase-3 activity. Error bars represent S.E. values calculated for three independent experiments.

We furthermore reasoned that if Rho proteins controlled only terminal apoptotic changes, it was likely that cells could not be completely rescued from apoptosis by inhibiting Rho protein activity. Given sufficient time, terminal events not controlled by Rho GTPases would likely kill the cells. We therefore extended the time of our CTL killing assay from 1 to 12 h to see if Rho GTPase inhibition could decrease cell death even at extended time periods. As shown in Fig. 6, 100% of the cells were killed by 12 h when they were not treated with toxin B. In contrast, for cells preincubated with toxin B, at 12 h, 40% of the cells remained attached to the coverslip and showed no evidence of nuclear fragmentation when stained with Hoechst dye. This further supported the involvement of Rho proteins in apoptosis induction.


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Fig. 6.   Effect of toxin B on the extent of CTL-induced apoptosis at late time points. Toxin B strongly affected the kinetics of CTL killing. For cells preincubated with toxin B (100 ng/ml), at 12 h, 40% remained attached to the coverslip, showing no sign of apoptosis. Apoptosis was assessed based on morphological criteria and examination of nuclear fragmentation using Hoechst staining. Error bars represent S.E. values calculated for three independent experiments.

Regulation of Fas and CTL Killing by Rho Family Proteins Requires the Actin Cytoskeleton-- Because the Rho proteins are potent modulators of the actin cytoskeleton, we examined the possible role of the cytoskeleton in Fas- and CTL-induced apoptosis. Target cells were incubated with latrunculin A, a specific inhibitor of actin polymerization (46), and the effect of this treatment on Fas-induced caspase-3 activation was quantified using the fluorogenic substrate assay described above. Latrunculin inhibited the ability of Fas to activate caspase-3 nearly 60%, indicating that polymerized actin was required for apoptosis induction (Fig. 7A). Perturbation of actin with latrunculin also affected the ability of activated Rho family mutants to potentiate Fas- and CTL-induced apoptosis. This was seen in fluorogenic substrate assays of Fas-induced caspase activation (Fig. 7A) and demonstrated for both CTL and Fas killing using microscope tracking of cells transfected with GFP-Rho mutants (as described above) (Fig. 7B). Taken together, these experiments show that apoptosis stimulated by CTLs and Fas requires polymerized actin structures and that effects of Rho proteins on these signaling pathways do not occur independently of GTPase signaling to the actin cytoskeleton.


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Fig. 7.   Induction of apoptosis by the Rho GTPases is mediated by the actin cytoskeleton. The actin polymerization inhibitor latrunculin A (2 µg/ml) (A) led to a significant inhibition of Fas-induced caspase-3 activation. These caspase activity assays were done 2 h after Fas induction. Error bars represent S.E. values calculated for three independent experiments. Latrunculin A blocked the ability of activated Rho GTPase mutants to enhance CTL- and Fas-induced death. The rate of apoptosis in the presence or absence of latrunculin A (Latrunc; 2 µg/ml) is shown in B for cells transfected with the constitutively active mutants. Error bars represent S.E. values calculated for three independent experiments. 20-150 cells (mean of 74) were assayed for each experiment.

To examine whether the Rho proteins affected apoptosis by altering the actin cytoskeleton, cells were transfected with dominant-positive Rac1 Q61L containing additional point mutations that affected interactions with downstream targets mediating effects on actin. As shown in Fig. 8, the Y40C mutation, previously shown to affect interactions with targets containing the Cdc42/Rac-interactive binding domain (60), had little effect on the action of dominant-positive Rac to promote CTL killing. However, dominant-positive Rac containing the additional F37A mutation, which alters the ability of Rac to regulate cortical actin assembly (60), completely eliminated the ability of dominant-positive Rac to increase apoptotic response.


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Fig. 8.   Effector site mutations disrupt the ability of Rac to increase actin polymerization. The ability of dominant-positive (dp) Rac Q61L to increase apoptosis induced by Fas was affected by some effector site mutations. Rac1 Q61L with a Y40C (40C) substitution, previously shown to affect the interaction of Rac with all targets containing Cdc42/Rac-interactive binding domain motifs (60), did not alter the extent of cell death produced by Rac1 Q61L. On the other hand, Rac1 Q61L with an F37A substitution (37A), which is unable to induce actin polymerization at the plasma membrane (60), reduced Fas-induced apoptosis to levels seen in the absence of activated GTPase. These experiments were done 2 h after Fas induction. Error bars represent S.E. values calculated for three independent experiments.

Additional evidence that Rho family proteins influence apoptosis by modulating the cytoskeleton was provided by the strong correlation between Rho family effects on cell shape and susceptibility to apoptosis. Cells treated with Clostridium toxin B retracted their edges and took on an altered morphology, with long cell extensions and a condensed cell body (Fig. 9A). This morphological change was blocked by transfection with the constitutively active GTPases (Fig. 9B). We examined the correlation between apoptosis and cell morphology controlled by the competing actions of each GTPase and toxin B. Individual cells were transfected with constitutively active GTPase mutants and then treated with toxin B. Cells in which the constitutively active protein caused well spread morphology were three times as likely to undergo apoptosis, as is shown in Fig. 9C. Thus, the effects of Rho proteins on morphology strongly correlated with susceptibility to CTL-induced killing.


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Fig. 9.   Rho GTPase effects on apoptosis correlate with effects on cell morphology. The fate of individual target cells expressing the constitutively active Rho family GTPase mutants correlated with their morphological features. The block in apoptosis induced by toxin B was overcome by dominant-positive Rho family mutants, but only when these mutants were expressed at sufficiently high levels to prevent the altered cell morphology produced by the toxin. A shows an example of a cell with the retracted morphology typical of toxin B treatment. B shows a cell in which this morphological change was blocked through prior transfection with constitutively active Rac Q61L. A population of cells on the same coverslip was transfected with dominant-positive GTPase protein and then treated with toxin. Cells with or without the retracted morphology were compared for susceptibility to apoptosis. C shows that the well spread cells had higher levels of CTL-induced apoptosis than those that had the altered morphology typical of toxin B treatment.


    DISCUSSION
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Our results demonstrate that the Rho family proteins play a role in the induction of apoptosis by CTLs and Fas. C. difficile toxin B, a specific inhibitor of all Rho proteins (48), blocks both Fas- and CTL-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, transfection with mutants of each family member affects the ability of Fas and CTLs to induce apoptosis; activated mutants stimulate killing, and dominant-negative mutants inhibit it. We also demonstrated that Fas stimulation increases the level of Cdc42 activation within 5 min. Rho proteins are known to control some aspects of apoptotic morphological changes (11), so we were careful to establish that the GTPases were not affecting only late stage apoptotic morphological events, but were in fact regulating the induction of apoptosis. This was most conclusively demonstrated by inhibiting Fas activation of caspase-3 using Clostridium toxin B. Caspase-3 cleavage and activation are considered to be critical steps in the commitment to apoptosis in Fas-induced cell death (50). More important, we observed that both activated and inhibitory GTPase mutants had no effect on cell death in the absence of apoptotic stimuli, despite their strong influence on CTL- and Fas-induced killing. In summary, these results demonstrate that the Rho family GTPases regulate the induction of apoptosis produced by CTLs and Fas, but that activation alone is not sufficient to produce cell death during the time required for killing by CTLs and Fas.

There have been previous reports indicating that Rac plays a role in Fas-induced apoptosis. Rac antisense oligonucleotides and dominant-negative Rac mutants have been shown to inhibit Fas-induced killing of T cells after 3 h (52). Rac activation by Fas ligand has been demonstrated (52). Dominant-negative Rac inhibited apoptosis produced by tumor necrosis factor, whereas dominant-negative Rho had no effect (53). In contrast to these and the present data, other studies have shown that transfection with activated Cdc42 and Rac alone is sufficient to induce apoptosis in some cells (16, 51). Ashkenazi and Dixit (12) and Evan and Littlewood (12, 15) have pointed out that apoptotic stimuli can be divided into two groups: perturbations of normal homeostasis or stimuli that interact with cellular molecules specifically evolved to induce apoptosis. Perturbations of homeostasis such as growth factor withdrawal (13), loss of cell-matrix attachment (14), and DNA damage (15) produce apoptosis much more slowly than direct interaction with apoptosis-inducing molecules such as CTL granzymes, Fas ligand, or tumor necrosis factor. This direct stimulation of apoptotic pathways occurs in minutes to hours. Our measurements of apoptosis due to activation of Rho proteins alone were made at the short times required for CTL and Fas killing. Previous reports examined effects of activated GTPase mutants after 24 h or longer. Thus, our data do not contradict earlier work, but instead indicate that Rho family proteins affect direct induction of apoptosis by mechanisms different from those in apoptosis produced by perturbation of homeostasis.

In studies where apoptosis was produced through perturbation of normal homeostasis, both inhibitory and stimulatory activities of Rho GTPases have been reported. Activation of Rac and Rho inhibits apoptosis produced by growth factor deprivation (17, 54), and Rho activation inhibits apoptosis induced by DNA damage (55) and loss of cell adhesion (18). Previously published experiments using activated or inhibitory mutants of Rac, Rho, or Cdc42 indicate that these proteins potentiate apoptosis produced by withdrawal of serum or nerve growth factor (16, 53). Mechanistic studies have revealed that Cdc42 and Rac induce apoptosis through activation of JNK and/or p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascades (16, 51) and that inhibition by Rac proceeds through activation of phosphatidylinositide 3'-hydroxykinase and Akt (17).

The Rho family proteins control the actin cytoskeleton via multiple downstream effectors, resulting in complex localized changes in actin structures and focal adhesions (23, 31, 37). Our data show that the Rho family proteins alter apoptotic signaling, but cannot themselves induce apoptosis. This is consistent with a mechanism in which Rho proteins alter the cytoskeletal scaffolding required for apoptosis induction and/or affect pathways by which cytoskeletal changes induce apoptosis (35, 36). This is in agreement with recent studies showing that caspases assemble into filamentous cytoplasmic structures during apoptosis (56). Furthermore, the extracellular matrix controls apoptotic susceptibility by interacting with focal adhesion components. Rho influences the number and nature of focal adhesions, and both Cdc42 and Rho can induce focal complexes and alter the filamentous actin network anchored to focal adhesions.

We tested the involvement of actin in Rho family modulation of apoptotic signaling. Latrunculin, an inhibitor of actin polymerization, strongly affected caspase activation by Fas. Recently published studies have shown that jasplakinolide, a molecule that stabilizes polymerized actin structures, increases apoptosis (57). Latrunculin blocked the ability of constitutively active Rho family members to enhance CTL- and Fas-induced killing. These experiments indicate that polymerized actin structures are required for apoptosis induction and that Rho family proteins do not operate on a pathway independent of their ability to regulate the actin cytoskeleton. This evidence is consistent with a mechanism in which Rho modulation of actin affects Fas and CTL signaling, possibly through rearrangement of actin scaffolds, alterations in focal adhesion signaling, or cytoskeletal changes accompanying Fas receptor capping. These models are supported by our experiments in which point mutations affecting the ability of Rac to alter cortical actin interfered with its ability to increase apoptosis. The facts that Cdc42 is stimulated rapidly, within 5 min of Fas addition, and that simulation recedes well before caspase activation suggest that Rho proteins participate in early events of receptor-mediated signaling. Previous reports also show rapid activation of Rac by Fas (52).

Our data show a strong correlation between morphological features produced by Rho proteins and susceptibility to apoptosis. This further supports a mechanism in which the Rho GTPases affect apoptosis by modulating the cytoskeleton. Our observations are consistent with previous studies demonstrating a connection between cell shape and susceptibility to apoptosis. Ingber and co-workers (58, 59) have elucidated mechanisms by which mechanical stresses control cell death. It was shown that cell shape strongly influences the extent of apoptosis regardless of the total area of contact with cell-surface molecules. Using a system distinct from that utilized in our studies, these workers observed that spread cells were less susceptible to apoptosis. This apparent contradiction suggests that apoptosis requires specific cytoskeletal structures whose formation does not correlate with gross morphological features like the extent of cell spreading.

The work described here further dissects the complex multifunctional role of the Rho proteins in apoptosis induction. The mechanisms by which cytoskeletal dynamics impact upon cell signaling remain poorly understood. In future studies, we hope to identify specific actin structures and dynamics involved in apoptosis induction and elucidate their control by Rho family signaling.

    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Dr. Michael B. A. Oldstone kindly provided the CTL clones, which were expertly maintained by Hanna Lewicki. Our thanks also go to Dr. Howard Steiner for careful reading of the manuscript, Dr. Guy Salvesen for helpful discussions and advice, Dr. Ira Mellman for providing the CHO/Fc cell line, Klaus Aktories and Fred Hofmann for providing Clostridium toxin B, Brian Coon for help with the CTL killing assays, Steve Panken (Enzyme Systems Products) for help with caspase-3 activation assays, Yan Wang for help with cell culture and transfections, and Tessa Pritchard for expert administrative assistance.

    FOOTNOTES

* This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health Grant R01 AG15430. This is Manuscript 11800CB from the Scripps Research Institute.The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

** To whom correspondence should be addressed: Dept. of Cell Biology, Scripps Research Inst., 10550 North Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037. Tel.: 858-784-8725; Fax: 858-784-8764; E-mail: khahn@scripps.edu.

    ABBREVIATIONS

The abbreviations used are: JNK, c-Jun N-terminal kinase; CTL, cytotoxic T lymphocyte; CHO, Chinese hamster ovary; GFP, green fluorescent protein; MHC, major histocompatibility complex; GTPgamma S, guanosine 5'-3-O-(thio)triphosphate.

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J. M. Vasiliev, T. Omelchenko, I. M. Gelfand, H. H. Feder, and E. M. Bonder
From the Cover: Rho overexpression leads to mitosis-associated detachment of cells from epithelial sheets: A link to the mechanism of cancer dissemination
PNAS, August 24, 2004; 101(34): 12526 - 12530.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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JCBHome page
M. C. Subauste, O. Pertz, E. D. Adamson, C. E. Turner, S. Junger, and K. M. Hahn
Vinculin modulation of paxillin-FAK interactions regulates ERK to control survival and motility
J. Cell Biol., May 10, 2004; 165(3): 371 - 381.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Bio.Home page
M. Moore, B. A. Marroquin, W. Gugliotta, R. Tse, and S. R. White
Rho Kinase Inhibition Initiates Apoptosis in Human Airway Epithelial Cells
Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., March 1, 2004; 30(3): 379 - 387.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Mol. Biol. CellHome page
E. A. Papakonstanti and C. Stournaras
Tumor Necrosis Factor-{alpha} Promotes Survival of Opossum Kidney Cells via Cdc42-induced Phospholipase C-{gamma}1 Activation and Actin Filament Redistribution
Mol. Biol. Cell, March 1, 2004; 15(3): 1273 - 1286.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Mol. Cell. Biol.Home page
F. Guo and Y. Zheng
Involvement of Rho Family GTPases in p19Arf- and p53-Mediated Proliferation of Primary Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts
Mol. Cell. Biol., February 1, 2004; 24(3): 1426 - 1438.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Mol. Biol. CellHome page
J. Kolega
Asymmetric Distribution of Myosin IIB in Migrating Endothelial Cells Is Regulated by a rho-dependent Kinase and Contributes to Tail Retraction
Mol. Biol. Cell, December 1, 2003; 14(12): 4745 - 4757.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
T. Omelchenko, J. M. Vasiliev, I. M. Gelfand, H. H. Feder, and E. M. Bonder
Rho-dependent formation of epithelial "leader" cells during wound healing
PNAS, September 16, 2003; 100(19): 10788 - 10793.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Mol. Cell. Biol.Home page
B. Zhang, Y. Zhang, and E. Shacter
Caspase 3-Mediated Inactivation of Rac GTPases Promotes Drug-Induced Apoptosis in Human Lymphoma Cells
Mol. Cell. Biol., August 15, 2003; 23(16): 5716 - 5725.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Circ. Res.Home page
T. Lin, L. Zeng, Y. Liu, K. DeFea, M. A. Schwartz, S. Chien, and J. Y.-J. Shyy
Rho-ROCK-LIMK-Cofilin Pathway Regulates Shear Stress Activation of Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Proteins
Circ. Res., June 27, 2003; 92(12): 1296 - 1304.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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J. Leukoc. Biol.Home page
S. Fais and W. Malorni
Leukocyte uropod formation and membrane/cytoskeleton linkage in immune interactions
J. Leukoc. Biol., May 1, 2003; 73(5): 556 - 563.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Mol. Endocrinol.Home page
E. A. Papakonstanti, M. Kampa, E. Castanas, and C. Stournaras
A Rapid, Nongenomic, Signaling Pathway Regulates the Actin Reorganization Induced by Activation of Membrane Testosterone Receptors
Mol. Endocrinol., May 1, 2003; 17(5): 870 - 881.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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J. Leukoc. Biol.Home page
D. Khurana and P. J. Leibson
Regulation of lymphocyte-mediated killing by GTP-binding proteins
J. Leukoc. Biol., March 1, 2003; 73(3): 333 - 338.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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J. Biol. Chem.Home page
Y. Otsuki, M. Tanaka, T. Kamo, C. Kitanaka, Y. Kuchino, and H. Sugimura
Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor, Tiam1, Directly Binds to c-Myc and Interferes with c-Myc-mediated Apoptosis in Rat-1 Fibroblasts
J. Biol. Chem., February 7, 2003; 278(7): 5132 - 5140.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Mol. Cell. Biol.Home page
M.-C. Gingras, C. Champagne, M. Roy, and J. N. Lavoie
Cytoplasmic Death Signal Triggered by Src-Mediated Phosphorylation of the Adenovirus E4orf4 Protein
Mol. Cell. Biol., January 1, 2002; 22(1): 41 - 56.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Mol. Cell. Biol.Home page
A. Algeciras-Schimnich, L. Shen, B. C. Barnhart, A. E. Murmann, J. K. Burkhardt, and M. E. Peter
Molecular Ordering of the Initial Signaling Events of CD95
Mol. Cell. Biol., January 1, 2002; 22(1): 207 - 220.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Cell Growth Differ.Home page
H. Qi, P. Juo, J. Masuda-Robens, M. J. Caloca, H. Zhou, N. Stone, M. G. Kazanietz, and M. M. Chou
Caspase-mediated Cleavage of the TIAM1 Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor during Apoptosis
Cell Growth Differ., December 1, 2001; 12(12): 603 - 611.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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J. Biol. Chem.Home page
D. A. Linseman, T. Laessig, M. K. Meintzer, M. McClure, H. Barth, K. Aktories, and K. A. Heidenreich
An Essential Role for Rac/Cdc42 GTPases in Cerebellar Granule Neuron Survival
J. Biol. Chem., October 12, 2001; 276(42): 39123 - 39131.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Bio.Home page
S. R. White, P. Williams, K. R. Wojcik, S. Sun, P. S. Hiemstra, K. F. Rabe, and D. R. Dorscheid
Initiation of Apoptosis by Actin Cytoskeletal Derangement in Human Airway Epithelial Cells
Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., March 1, 2001; 24(3): 282 - 294.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Mol. Biol. CellHome page
N. A. Bhowmick, M. Ghiassi, A. Bakin, M. Aakre, C. A. Lundquist, M. E. Engel, C. L. Arteaga, and H. L. Moses
Transforming Growth Factor-{beta}1 Mediates Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transdifferentiation through a RhoA-dependent Mechanism
Mol. Biol. Cell, January 1, 2001; 12(1): 27 - 36.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


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ScienceHome page
V. S. Kraynov, C. Chamberlain, G. M. Bokoch, M. A. Schwartz, S. Slabaugh, and K. M. Hahn
Localized Rac Activation Dynamics Visualized in Living Cells
Science, October 13, 2000; 290(5490): 333 - 337.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


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JCBHome page
J. N. Lavoie, C. Champagne, M.-C. Gingras, and A. Robert
Adenovirus E4 Open Reading Frame 4-induced Apoptosis Involves Dysregulation of Src Family Kinases
J. Cell Biol., September 5, 2000; 150(5): 1037 - 1056.
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J. Biol. Chem.Home page
S. Tu and R. A. Cerione
Cdc42 Is a Substrate for Caspases and Influences Fas-induced Apoptosis
J. Biol. Chem., May 25, 2001; 276(22): 19656 - 19663.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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J. Biol. Chem.Home page
S. J. Coniglio, T.-S. Jou, and M. Symons
Rac1 Protects Epithelial Cells against Anoikis
J. Biol. Chem., July 20, 2001; 276(30): 28113 - 28120.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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J. Biol. Chem.Home page
J.-Z. Cheng, R. Sharma, Y. Yang, S. S. Singhal, A. Sharma, M. K. Saini, S. V. Singh, P. Zimniak, S. Awasthi, and Y. C. Awasthi
Accelerated Metabolism and Exclusion of 4-Hydroxynonenal through Induction of RLIP76 and hGST5.8 Is an Early Adaptive Response of Cells to Heat and Oxidative Stress
J. Biol. Chem., October 26, 2001; 276(44): 41213 - 41223.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Plant Physiol.Home page
H. Schultheiss, C. Dechert, K.-H. Kogel, and R. Huckelhoven
A Small GTP-Binding Host Protein Is Required for Entry of Powdery Mildew Fungus into Epidermal Cells of Barley
Plant Physiology, April 1, 2002; 128(4): 1447 - 1454.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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