|
Originally published In Press as doi:10.1074/jbc.M205324200 on October 9, 2002
J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 277, Issue 50, 48043-48050, December 13, 2002
NRAGE, a p75 Neurotrophin Receptor-interacting Protein, Induces
Caspase Activation and Cell Death through a JNK-dependent
Mitochondrial Pathway*
Amir H.
Salehi §,
Steven
Xanthoudakis¶, and
Philip A.
Barker
From the Centre for Neuronal Survival, Montreal
Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 University Avenue,
Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4 and the ¶ Merck-Frosst Centre for
Therapeutic Research, Pointe Claire-Dorval, Quebec H9R 4P8,
Canada
Received for publication, May 30, 2002, and in revised form, September 20, 2002
 |
ABSTRACT |
The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) mediates
signaling events leading to activation of the JNK pathway and cell
death in a variety of cell types. We recently identified NRAGE, a
protein that directly interacts with the p75NTR cytosolic region and
facilitates p75NTR-mediated cell death. For the present study, we
developed an inducible recombinant NRAGE adenovirus to dissect the
mechanism of NRAGE-mediated apoptosis. Induced NRAGE expression
resulted in robust activation of the JNK pathway that was not inhibited by the pharmacological mixed lineage kinase (MLK) inhibitor CEP1347. NRAGE induced cytosolic accumulation of cytochrome c,
activation of Caspases-3, -9 and -7, and caspase-dependent
cell death. Blocking JNK and c-Jun action by overexpression of the
JNK-binding domain of JIP1 or dominant-negative c-Jun ablated
NRAGE-mediated caspase activation and NRAGE-induced cell death.
These findings identify NRAGE as a p75NTR interactor capable of
inducing caspase activation and cell death through a
JNK-dependent mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.
 |
INTRODUCTION |
The neurotrophins are a family of growth factors involved in the
survival, development, and death of specific populations of neurons and
non-neuronal cells. Their effects are mediated by binding to cell
surface tyrosine-kinase receptors and to the p75 neurotrophin receptor
(p75NTR).1 Roles for
tyrosine-kinase receptors in neurotrophin-dependent growth,
survival, and synapse function are well established, but the precise
physiological functions of p75NTR are still being defined. p75NTR can
act as a co-receptor for tyrosine-kinase receptors, but p75NTR is also
expressed in many cells that lack catalytically active tyrosine-kinase
receptors, where it functions autonomously to mediate neurotrophin
signaling events (1).
Numerous studies over the last several years have shown that p75NTR can
induce apoptosis in a variety of settings. For example, p75NTR-dependent cell death has been observed in cultured
trigeminal neurons (2), embryonic hippocampal neurons (3), neonatal sympathetic neurons (4), neonatal Schwann cells (5), neuroblastoma cells (6), and within explants of otic vesicles (7). In vivo, overexpression of the intracellular domain of p75NTR in transgenic mouse neurons results in widespread apoptosis of peripheral and central neurons (8). Accordingly, disruption of nerve growth factor binding to p75NTR reduces apoptosis in the retina (9); mice lacking full-length p75NTR exhibit decreased apoptosis in the
developing spinal cord and retina (10) and display increased numbers of
sympathetic and sensory neurons following the normal period of
naturally occurring cell death (4, 11).
The precise signaling events that link p75NTR activation to apoptotic
cascades remain uncertain, but several findings suggest that activation
of the JNK pathway may play a key role. A number of studies have shown
that p75NTR-dependent apoptosis correlates with an
increase in JNK activity (3, 4, 12-14), and some studies have
demonstrated that blockade of the JNK pathway with chemical inhibitors
(3, 13) or dominant-negative forms of JNK (15) attenuates
p75NTR-dependent death in oligodendrocytes and hippocampal neurons.
Several p75NTR-interacting proteins have been recently identified (1).
Some of these, including NRIF (16) and NADE (17), appear to
facilitate p75NTR-dependent apoptosis, but to date, p75NTR
interactors have not been linked to specific apoptotic cascades.
We recently demonstrated that NRAGE, a novel member of the MAGE
family, binds to p75NTR under physiological conditions and
facilitates p75NTR-dependent cell death (18). For the
present study, we developed an overexpression paradigm to examine
signaling pathways activated by NRAGE. Our data indicate that NRAGE is
a potent apoptotic inducer that activates a mitochondrial death pathway
involving cytochrome c release and activation of Caspase-9, -7, and -3. NRAGE-induced apoptosis correlates with MLK-independent activation of JNK and with c-Jun phosphorylation. Accordingly, blockers
of JNK activity or c-Jun-mediated transcription inhibit NRAGE-dependent caspase activation and reduce
apoptosis. Together, these data demonstrate that the p75NTR
interactor NRAGE activates a mitochondrial apoptotic cascade through a
JNK- and c-Jun-dependent pathway.
 |
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES |
Materials--
zVAD-fmk was purchased from Enzyme System
Products. CEP1347 was obtained from Aegera Therapeutics. Cell culture
reagents were purchased from BioWhittaker, unless otherwise indicated.
The JNK1 antibody (C-17, catalogue no. sc-474) and I B antibody
(C-12, catalogue no. sc-371) were purchased from Santa Cruz
Biotechnology. Anti-FLAG antibody (M2, catalogue no. F-3165) was
obtained from Sigma. Cytochrome c antibody was purchased
from BD PharMingen (catalogue no. 556433) and anti-HA antibody
(12CA5, catalogue no. 1583816) was purchased from Roche.
Phospho-Thr183/Tyr185 JNK (G9, catalogue no.
9255), phospho-Ser63 c-Jun (II, catalogue no. 9261),
Caspase-9 (catalogue no. 9502), cleaved Caspase-3 (Asp175,
catalogue no. 9661), cleaved Caspase-7 (Asp198, catalogue
no. 9491), and cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)
(Asp214, catalogue no. 9541)-specific antibodies were
obtained from Cell Signaling Technology. The antibody raised against
the amino terminus of NRAGE has been previously described (18).
Horseradish peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibodies were purchased
from Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories. Immunoreactive bands were
detected using enhanced chemiluminescence purchased from PerkinElmer
Life Sciences. All other reagents were from Sigma or ICN Biochemicals,
unless otherwise indicated.
Preparation of Recombinant Adenovirus--
Preparation of
recombinant adenovirus expressing enhanced green fluorescence protein
(EGFP), -galactosidase, and the myristoylated p75NTR intracellular
domain (mICD) has been previously described (14). Recombinant
adenoviruses expressing FLAG-tagged JNK-binding domain of JIP1,
FLAG-tagged dominant-negative c-Jun, and HA epitope-tagged MLK-3 were
provided by Dr. Aviva Tolkovsky, Aegera Therapeutics, and David Kaplan,
respectively, and their construction has been described elsewhere
(19-21). To produce recombinant adenovirus driving the
Tet-inducible expression of Myc epitope-tagged full-length NRAGE,
full-length rat NRAGE cDNA was subcloned into the vector cytomegalovirus 5'-TetO, and recombinant virus was generated and plaque purified in 293A cells. All viruses were amplified in 293A cells
and purified on a sucrose gradient, as previously described (14).
Viruses were then titered by optical density and by using the tissue
culture infectious dose 50 (TCID) assay in 293A cells (22). Titers are
expressed as plaque-forming units.
Cell Culture and Infection--
The PC12rtTA cell
line was purchased from Clontech (catalogue no.
C3015-1) and maintained in 10% CO2 at 37 °C in
Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf
serum (Clontech), 5% horse serum, 2 mM
L-glutamine, 100 µg/ml penicillin/streptomycin, and 100 µg/ml G418. Cells were plated 18-24 h prior to infection. Where
indicated, 1 µg/ml doxycycline was added to the plates at time of infection.
Caspase Activity Assay--
Forty-eight hours post-infection,
cells were harvested on ice, washed with cold phosphate-buffered
saline, and caspase activity was measured at room temperature using the
fluorescent substrate DEVD-amino-methyl-coumarin (AMC) at a
concentration of 10 µM as described previously (23).
Cytochrome c Release Assay--
Cytosol-enriched subcellular
fractions were prepared using a modification of a previously described
protocol (24). In brief, 5,000,000 cells were harvested, washed once in
Tris-buffered saline (10 mM Tris (pH 8.0), 150 mM NaCl), once in Buffer A (100 mM sucrose, 1 mM EGTA, 20 mM MOPS (pH 7.4)), and then
resuspended in 500 µl of Buffer B (Buffer A plus 5% Percoll, 0.01%
digitonin, 1 µg/ml aprotinin, 1 µg/ml leupeptin, 1 µg/ml
pepstatin, 1 mM sodium orthovanadate, 1 mM
phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride). A sample of this suspension was
retained as total cell lysate. The remainder was incubated on ice for
15 min and then centrifuged at 2500 × g for 10 min to
remove intact cells and nuclei. The supernatant was then centrifuged at
15 000 × g for 15 min to pellet mitochondria. The
final supernatant was designated cytosol.
Immunoblotting--
Cells were lysed in RIPA buffer (10 mM Tris (pH 8.0), 150 mM NaCl, 1% Nonidet
P-40, 0.5% deoxycholate, 0.1% SDS, 1 µg/ml aprotinin, 1 µg/ml
leupeptin, 1 µg/ml pepstatin, 1 mM sodium orthovanadate, 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride) and analyzed for
protein content using the BCA assay (Pierce). Samples were
normalized for protein content, suspended in Laemmli sample buffer,
separated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and electroblotted
onto nitrocellulose. Blocking and secondary antibody incubations of
immunoblots were performed in Tris-buffered saline/Tween (10 mM Tris (pH 8.0), 150 mM NaCl, 0.2% Tween 20)
supplemented with 5% (w/v) dried skim milk powder. All primary
antibody incubations were performed in the blocking solution, except
for those involving phospho-specific antibodies, which were performed
in Tris-buffered saline/Tween supplemented with 5% (w/v) bovine serum
albumin. Immunoreactive bands were detected by chemiluminescence
(PerkinElmer Life Sciences) according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Survival Assay--
Analysis of cell survival was performed by
MTT assay using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium
bromide (MTT), which was added at a final concentration of 1 mg/ml for
the last 4 h of a 2-day infection. The reaction was ended by the
addition of 1 volume of solubilization buffer (20% SDS, 10%
dimethylformamide, and 20% acetic acid). After overnight
solubilization, specific and nonspecific absorbances were read at 570 and 690 nm, respectively. In each experiment, each data point was
performed in triplicate or quadruplicate, and experimental results were
analyzed by multiple analyses of variance with statistical
probabilities assigned using the Tukey test for multiple comparisons.
Each experiment was carried out independently at least three times. In
the case of MTT assays that were accompanied by parallel lactate
dehydrogenase (LDH) experiments, cells were treated as described below
prior to infection.
Death Assay--
Analysis of cell death was performed by the LDH
assay using the cytotoxicity detection kit (Roche, catalogue no.
1644793) according to the manufacturer's instructions. In brief, prior to infection, cells were washed three times with an equal volume of
PC12rtTA medium, and then the medium serum concentration
was reduced by 20% by the addition of Dulbecco's modified Eagle's
medium. Forty hours after infection, cell cultures were centrifuged at
500 × g, and the supernatant was added to an equal
volume of LDH reaction mixture supplied by the manufacturer (Roche).
After 15-30 min of incubation, specific and nonspecific absorbances
were read at 490 (A490 nm) and 690 (A690 nm), respectively. Values reported were
calculated using the following formula:
(A490 nm A690 nm) (A490 nm of media alone A690 nm of media alone). Each data point
was performed in triplicate or quadruplicate, and experimental results
were analyzed by multiple analyses of variance with statistical
probabilities assigned using the Tukey test for multiple comparisons.
Each experiment was carried out independently at least three times.
 |
RESULTS |
An Inducible NRAGE Adenovirus Mediates Cell Death--
To
investigate signaling pathways involved in NRAGE-mediated cell death,
we constructed a recombinant adenovirus driving the expression of
full-length NRAGE (AdNRG). Previous attempts to produce virus in which
expression of an NRAGE fragment was driven by a constitutively active
cytomegalovirus promoter had proven unsuccessful, presumably because of
a pro-apoptotic effect of NRAGE. Therefore, we designed an adenovirus
that would allow for the doxycycline-inducible expression of
full-length NRAGE (tagged with an amino-terminal myc epitope,
myc-NRAGE) in cells co-expressing a doxycycline-regulated trans-acting
factor, rtTA. For our studies, PC12 cells stably expressing the
doxycycline-regulated trans-acting factor were used
(PC12rtTA). Fig.
1A shows that NRAGE expression
in AdNRG-infected cells is minimal in the absence of doxycycline but is
strongly induced following addition of 1 µg/ml doxycycline. A small
amount of `leaky' NRAGE expression occurs, even in the absence of
doxycycline, but only at high multiplicities of infection (m.o.i.).

View larger version (23K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 1.
Inducible expression of NRAGE in
PC12rtTA cells induces cell death. A,
PC12rtTA cells were infected with a recombinant adenovirus
(AdNRG) expressing myc epitope-tagged full-length NRAGE
(myc-NRG) under the control of a Tet-responsive promoter at
increasing m.o.i. in the presence or absence of 1 µg/ml doxycycline
(Dox) as indicated. After 48 h, cells were lysed and
analyzed for the expression of NRAGE by immunoblotting with an
NRAGE-specific antibody. B, PC12rtTA cells were
left uninfected or were infected with AdNRG (NRG) or with
AdGFP (GFP), a control recombinant adenovirus expressing
EGFP under the control of an unmodified cytomegalovirus promoter in the
presence or absence of 1 µg/ml doxycycline as indicated. After
48 h, cells were assayed for survival using the MTT assay as
described under "Experimental Procedures." PC12rtTA
cells infected with a recombinant adenovirus expressing the
myristoylated p75NTR intracellular domain under the control of an
unmodified cytomegalovirus promoter (mICD) were treated as above and
acted as a positive control for cell death. Results are
normalized relative to those obtained with no virus and no Dox and
represent the mean ± S.D. of a representative experiment
performed in quadruplicate (*, p < 0.0005 relative to
no virus + Dox)
|
|
To determine whether NRAGE induces cell death, PC12rtTA
cells were infected with AdNRG in the absence or presence of 1 µg/ml
doxycycline. AdNRG-infected PC12rtTA that were treated with
doxycycline displayed dose-dependent cytoplasmic condensation, cell shrinkage, and detachment from the plate (data not
shown). MTT viability assays performed to quantify this effect indicated that cells infected with AdNRG and treated with doxycycline displayed a significant loss in cell viability at all m.o.i. tested (Fig. 1B). In contrast, cells infected with a control virus
expressing enhanced green fluorescence protein (AdGFP) showed no
significant loss of viability in presence or absence of doxycycline
(Fig. 1B). As expected (14), cells treated with a virus that
constitutively expresses a myristoylated form of the p75NTR
intracellular domain showed reduced viability that was unaffected by
doxycycline (Fig. 1B). Together, these data indicate that
NRAGE overexpression induces PC12rtTA cell death.
NRAGE-induced Cell Death Is
Caspase-dependent--
Most forms of apoptosis converge on
caspases as downstream effectors (25). To determine whether caspases
are activated during NRAGE-mediated cell death, a fluorogenic synthetic
peptide (DEVD-amino-methyl-coumarin) cleavage assay (26) was used to
assess caspase activity (Fig. 2A). Doxycycline treatment had
no effect on caspase activity in control-uninfected cells, and cells
infected with a control AdGFP virus did not display increased caspase
activity relative to control-uninfected cells in either the absence or
presence of doxycycline. In contrast, cells infected with AdNRG and
treated with doxycycline showed a robust induction of DEVD cleavage
activity.

View larger version (30K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 2.
NRAGE expression induces cytochrome
c release and caspase-dependent cell
death. A, NRAGE expression induces caspase activity.
PC12rtTA cells were left uninfected or were infected with
50 m.o.i. of recombinant adenovirus expressing myc-NRAGE
(NRG) or EGFP (GFP) in the presence or absence of
1 µg/ml doxycycline. Two days after infection, cells were lysed, and
50 µg of cytosolic extracts were assayed for caspase activity using
DEVD-amino-methyl-coumarin as substrate. The cleavage activity is shown
as arbitrary fluorescence units per min. B, NRAGE expression
leads to caspase zymogen cleavage. PC12rtTA cells were
infected and incubated under the same conditions as in panel
A. Thirty hours after infection, cells were lysed, normalized for
protein levels, and analyzed by immunoblotting for levels of NRAGE and
full-length Caspase-9, and, using cleavage-specific antibodies, for
levels of cleaved Caspases-3 and -7 and cleaved PARP. I B levels
were analyzed by immunoblot to confirm equal loading between lanes.
C, caspase activity is required for NRAGE-mediated cell
death. PC12rtTA cells were infected with 50 m.o.i. of
recombinant adenovirus expressing myc-NRAGE (NRG) or
-galactosidase (LacZ) in the presence of 1 µg/ml
doxycycline or were treated with camptothecin (100 µM) as
a positive control for caspase-dependent cell death. In
addition, cells were incubated with increasing concentrations of
zVAD-fmk (zVAD) or Boc-Asp-fmk (BAF), broad
spectrum caspase inhibitors, as indicated. After 40 h, cells were
assayed for survival using the MTT assay and for death using the LDH
assay, where untreated cells (Untr'd) and cells treated
with 1% Triton X-100 (Triton) were used to delineate the
output range of the assays. Results are normalized relative to those
obtained with 1% Triton for the LDH assay or untreated cells for the
MTT assay and represent the mean ± S.D. of a representative
experiment performed in triplicate. (*, p < 0.0025 relative to LacZ + Dox at 0 µM caspase inhibitor for all
gray bars. *, p < 0.0025 relative to AdNRG + Dox at 0 µM for all black bars. *,
p < 0.0025 relative to camptothecin
(Campto.) at 0 µM caspase inhibitor for all
white bars). D, NRAGE expression results in
caspase-independent accumulation of cytochrome c in the
cytosol. PC12rtTA cells were left uninfected or were
infected with 50 m.o.i. of AdNRG (NRG) or as a control
with 50 m.o.i. of recombinant adenovirus expressing
-galactosidase under the control of an unmodified cytomegalovirus
promoter (LacZ). Cells were maintained in 1 µg/ml
doxycycline for 30 h after infection. The cytosolic fraction was
then isolated as described under "Experimental Procedures." This
procedure was performed in the absence (DMSO) or presence
(zVAD) of 100 µM zVAD-fmk as indicated. The
cytosolic fractions were normalized for protein content and were
subjected to gel electrophoresis, along with a sample of the total cell
lysate (Total cell) obtained from the uninfected cells
maintained in the presence of doxycycline and containing the same
amount of protein, followed by immunoblotting with a cytochrome
c-specific antibody. The level of I B was also analyzed
by immunoblotting with an I B -specific antibody to demonstrate
equal loading of the cytosolic fractions. In the bottom of panel
D, total cell lysate samples obtained prior to the fractionation
procedure were normalized for protein content and immunoblotted with an
NRAGE-specific antibody.
|
|
Caspases are present within the cell in zymogen forms that, following
an apoptotic signal, undergo proteolytic cleavage to produce active
caspases (25). To identify specific caspases activated by NRAGE
overexpression, cells were either left uninfected or were infected with
AdGFP or AdNRG in the absence or presence of doxycycline. Cells were
then lysed and analyzed by immunoblot for levels of the intact
Caspase-9 zymogen and for cleavage/activation of effector Caspases-3
and -7. Fig. 2B shows that doxycycline-induced NRAGE
expression results in the reduction in levels of the Caspase-9 zymogen,
a corresponding increase in activated Caspase-3 and -7, and the
cleavage of PARP, a dual Caspase-3/7 substrate (25). Uninfected cells
or cells infected with AdGFP showed no evidence of caspase activation
in either the absence or presence of doxycycline. Together, these
results indicate that NRAGE is a potent inducer of Caspase-9, an
initiator caspase, and Caspases-3 and -7, downstream effector caspases.
To confirm that caspase activation is necessary for NRAGE-mediated cell
death, the viability of cells overexpressing myc-NRAGE was examined
after treatment with either Boc-Asp-fmk (BAF) or zVAD-fmk, both
broad-spectrum inhibitors of caspase activity (26). MTT survival and
LDH death assays both revealed that NRAGE-induced death is
significantly inhibited in the presence of BAF or zVAD-fmk (Fig.
2C), confirming a role for caspase activity in NRAGE-induced cell death. Together, these data establish that NRAGE induces cell
death through an apoptotic mechanism involving caspase activation.
NRAGE Induces Caspase-independent Release of Cytochrome c from
Mitochondria--
Cleavage of the Caspase-9 zymogen requires formation
of a complex consisting of Caspase-9, Apaf-1, and cytosolic cytochrome c (25). Release of cytochrome c from mitochondria
into the cytosol is a key regulatory step in this process (27). To
determine whether cytochrome c is released during
NRAGE-induced apoptosis, cells were left uninfected or were infected
with either AdNRG or with a control adenovirus driving constitutive
expression of -galactosidase (AdLacZ) in the presence of doxycycline
(Fig. 2D). Cells were then lysed, subjected to subcellular
fractionation, and cytosolic fractions were analyzed for cytochrome
c levels by immunoblot. Cytochrome c was not
detected in the cytosol of uninfected cells or in cells infected with
AdLacZ. However, high levels of cytochrome c were detected
in the cytosol of cells expressing myc-NRAGE (Fig. 2D),
indicating that NRAGE overexpression induces cytochrome c
release from the mitochondria.
In some models of apoptosis, cytochrome c release may be a
secondary event that occurs after caspase activation (25, 28). To
determine whether NRAGE-induced release of cytochrome c from mitochondria is independent of caspase activation, the effect of the
caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk on the accumulation of cytosolic cytochrome
c was examined. Fig. 2D shows that zVAD-fmk did
not reduce NRAGE-mediated cytosolic cytochrome c
accumulation, indicating that NRAGE-induced cytochrome c
release is not a consequence of caspase activation but instead lies
upstream of caspase activation.
NRAGE Activates JNK through an MLK-independent
Pathway--
Activation of Jun kinase (JNK) and consequent
transcriptional events play a necessary role in several neuronal cell
death paradigms that involve cytochrome c release (20, 29,
30), such as p75NTR-dependent apoptosis (3, 15). To
determine whether JNK is activated during NRAGE-induced apoptosis,
PC12rtTA cells were left uninfected or were infected with
AdNRG or the control viruses AdGFP or AdLacZ in the presence or absence
of 1 µg/ml doxycycline, then lysed, and analyzed by immunoblot for JNK phosphostatus. Fig. 3 shows that
NRAGE expression induced a robust increase in JNK phosphorylation with
no increase in total JNK1 protein levels. JNK activation results in
phosphorylation of c-Jun, which in turn leads to transcriptional
activation of target promoters, including the promoter for c-Jun itself
(31, 32). Therefore, to confirm that NRAGE-mediated phosphorylation of
JNK was an indication of JNK signaling pathway activation, phosphostatus and protein levels of c-Jun were determined. NRAGE overexpression resulted in a dramatic increase in both the
phosphorylation of c-Jun (visualized by phospho-Jun Ser63
immunoblot and by slower migrating band in the total c-Jun immunoblot) and in total c-Jun levels (Fig. 3). In contrast, cells infected with
AdGFP or AdLacZ showed no alteration in the levels or phosphostatus of
JNK or c-Jun. Under these infection conditions, EGFP is highly expressed by AdGFP, and it accumulates to much higher levels than myc-NRAGE (Fig. 3, bottom panel), indicating that the
effects of NRAGE on the JNK pathway do not reflect overexpression
artifacts. Together, these data demonstrate that NRAGE specifically
increases JNK activity, leading to the phosphorylation of c-Jun and
activation of c-Jun transcriptional activity.

View larger version (13K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 3.
NRAGE expression induces the activation of
the JNK pathway. PC12rtTA cells were left uninfected
or were infected with 50 m.o.i. of recombinant adenovirus
expressing myc-NRAGE (NRG), EGFP (GFP), or
-galactosidase (LacZ) in the presence or absence of 1 µg/ml doxycycline as indicated. Thirty hours after infection, cells
were lysed, normalized for protein levels, and analyzed for levels of
phospho-Thr183/Tyr185-JNK and total JNK,
phospho-Ser63 Jun and total c-Jun, as well as I B and
NRAGE, by immunoblotting. Total proteins on the immunoblot were shown
by Ponceau staining of a protein blot to confirm equal loading and
allow for comparison of myc-NRAGE and EGFP expression levels.
|
|
Mixed lineage kinases (MLKs) are MAP kinase kinase kinases (MAP3Ks)
that have been identified as the upstream activators of the JNK pathway
necessary for neurotrophin withdrawal-induced apoptosis (33-37).
CEP1347, an indolocarbazole of the K252a family, is a potent inhibitor
of MLKs (35) and blocks neuronal cell death in several neuronal
apoptosis paradigms (33-37). To determine whether CEP1347 blocks
NRAGE-dependent activation of the JNK pathway, PC12rtTA cells were infected with either AdGFP, AdNRG, or
with AdMLK-3, a recombinant adenovirus driving the expression of HA
epitope-tagged MLK-3, and were then treated with CEP1347 or with a
vehicle control. As expected, NRAGE or MLK-3 overexpression induced
robust JNK phosphorylation, whereas EGFP overexpression had no
discernable effect on JNK phosphostatus (Fig.
4A, compare lanes
2-4). Application of CEP1347 for 1 h strongly inhibited
MLK-3-induced JNK phosphorylation but, surprisingly, had no effect on
JNK phosphorylation induced by NRAGE (Fig. 4A, compare
lanes 3 and 7, 4 and 8). To
confirm that CEP1347 was indeed ineffective in blocking
NRAGE-dependent activation of the JNK pathway, cells
infected with AdNRG or with AdMLK-3 were maintained in CEP1347 for the
duration of the infection and then examined for levels of c-Jun. Fig.
4B shows that NRAGE and MLK-3 overexpression induced c-Jun
expression, presumably as a result of JNK-dependent
AP-1-mediated transcription. CEP1347 treatment led to an almost
complete block of the MLK-3-mediated increase in c-Jun protein levels
but had no effect on accumulation of c-Jun induced by NRAGE. Therefore,
it can be concluded that in PC12rtTA cells, NRAGE induces
JNK activity and c-Jun accumulation through an MLK-independent
pathway.

View larger version (9K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 4.
NRAGE-mediated JNK activation is not blocked
by CEP1347. A, effect of short-term CEP1347 treatment
on JNK phosphorylation induced by NRAGE or MLK-3. PC12rtTA
cells were left uninfected or were infected with 50 m.o.i. of
recombinant adenovirus expressing myc-NRAGE (NRG), or HA
epitope-tagged mixed lineage kinase-3 (MLK-3) or EGFP
(GFP), in the presence or absence of 1 µg/ml doxycycline
as indicated. Twenty-nine hours post-infection, cells were treated with
200 nM CEP1347 or an equivalent volume of Me2SO
(DMSO), for an additional 60 min and were then lysed, normalized
for protein content, and analyzed for levels of
phospho-Thr183/Tyr185-JNK and total JNK1 by
immunoblotting. B, effect of long-term CEP1347 treatment on
c-Jun protein accumulation induced by NRAGE or MLK-3.
PC12rtTA cells were treated as above and incubated in the
presence of 200 nM CEP1347 or an equivalent volume of
Me2SO, beginning at the time of infection. Thirty hours
later, cells were lysed, normalized for protein content, and analyzed
for levels of total c-Jun, JNK, and HA epitope-tagged MLK-3 by
immunoblotting.
|
|
JNK Activation and c-Jun-dependent Transcription Are
Necessary For NRAGE-dependent Apoptotic Signaling--
The
above observations are consistent with the hypothesis that
NRAGE-mediated activation of the JNK pathway induces c-Jun-mediated transcriptional events that result in mitochondrial cytochrome c release, Caspase-9 activation, and the activation of
effector Caspases-3 and -7. To directly address the requirement of JNK activation in NRAGE apoptotic signaling, we employed an adenovirus (AdJBD) encoding the JNK binding domain of the JNK-interacting protein-1, which acts to sequester JNK and thereby inhibit
JNK-dependent c-Jun phosphorylation (19). To examine the
role of c-Jun-dependent transcription on NRAGE-induced
apoptosis, we used an adenovirus encoding a c-Jun dominant-negative
mutant (Ad Jun) that lacks the c-Jun transactivation domain and
functions as an inhibitor of AP-1 activity (20, 38).
To determine whether overexpression of either the c-Jun
dominant-negative mutant or the JNK binding domain of JNK-interacting protein-1 (JIP1) reduces NRAGE-mediated apoptosis, PC12rtTA
cells treated with AdNRG or AdLacZ were co-infected with either Ad JUN, AdJBD, or AdLacZ, and their viability was then assessed by
MTT survival or LDH death assays (Fig.
5C). These experiments were
complicated by the finding that these inhibitors of the JNK pathway
caused a reduction in PC12rtTA cell viability on their own
(Fig. 5C, bars d-i), indicating that some basal
level of JNK activity is important for viability of the PC12 cell line,
as suggested by others (39-41). Nonetheless, in both assay types,
myc-NRAGE expressing cells co-infected with Ad JUN or AdJBD showed a
significant decrease in cell death when compared with myc-NRAGE
expressing cells treated with the control virus (Fig. 5C,
compare k, l to j, or n,
o to m). In fact, the viability of myc-NRAGE
expressing cells treated with Ad JUN and AdJBD is indistinguishable
from that of cells treated with Ad JUN and AdJBD in the absence of
AdNRG co-infection (Fig. 5C, compare n and
o to h and i), indicating that
expression of these JNK pathway inhibitors completely masks the effects
of NRAGE expression on viability. Therefore we conclude that activation
of the JNK pathway is required for the induction of NRAGE-mediated
apoptosis.

View larger version (34K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
|
Fig. 5.
JNK activation is necessary for
NRAGE-mediated caspase activation and cell death. A,
PC12rtTA cells were infected with 50 m.o.i. of
recombinant adenovirus expressing myc-NRAGE (NRG) or
-galactosidase (LacZ) in the presence of 1 µg/ml
doxycycline. Cells were also infected with 50 m.o.i. of
recombinant adenovirus expressing FLAG-tagged dominant-negative c-Jun
( Jun), FLAG-tagged JNK binding domain of JIP (FLAG-JBD),
or control adenovirus (LacZ). Thirty hours after infection,
cells were lysed, normalized for protein levels, and analyzed for
levels of cleaved Caspase-3, cleaved PARP, phospho-Ser63
Jun, total c-Jun, FLAG-tagged dominant-negative c-Jun
(FLAG- Jun), FLAG-JBD and NRAGE by
immunoblotting. Note that FLAG-tagged dominant-negative c-Jun is not
detected by the c-Jun antibody, because it lacks the amino-terminal
epitopes recognized by this antibody. B, the JNK pathway
does not lie downstream of caspase activation in the NRAGE-mediated
apoptotic pathway. PC12rtTA cells were left uninfected or
were infected with 50 m.o.i. of recombinant adenovirus expressing
-galactosidase (LacZ) or myc-NRAGE (NRG), treated with 1 µg/ml doxycycline, and incubated in the presence of either 100 µM zVAD-fmk (zVAD), 100 µM
Boc-Asp-fmk (BAF), or vehicle Me2SO
(DMSO) as indicated. Thirty hours after infection, cells
were lysed, normalized for protein levels, and analyzed for levels of
phospho-Ser63 c-Jun and total c-Jun,
phospho-Thr183/Tyr185-JNK and total JNK,
I B , and NRAGE by immunoblotting. C, NRAGE-mediated
cell death is blocked by inhibitors of the JNK pathway.
PC12rtTA cells were infected with 50 m.o.i. of
recombinant adenovirus expressing -galactosidase (LacZ)
or myc-NRAGE (NRG) together with 50 or 100 m.o.i. of
recombinant adenovirus expressing FLAG epitope-tagged dominant-negative
c-Jun ( JUN), FLAG (FLAG-JBD), or the control protein
-galactosidase (LAcZ) and treated with 1 µg/ml
doxycycline as indicated. After 40 h, cells were assayed for
survival using the MTT assay and for death using the LDH assay, where
untreated cells (Untreated) and cells treated with 1%
Triton X-100 (Triton) were used to delineate the output
range of the assays. Results are normalized relative to those obtained
with 1% Triton for the LDH assay or with untreated cells for the MTT
assay and represent the mean ± S.D. of a representative
experiment performed in triplicate (*, p < 0.0005 relative to NRG + Dox + 50 m.o.i. LacZ for bars d-f,
j-l. *, p < 0.0005 relative to NRG + Dox + 100 m.o.i. AdLacZ for bars g-i,
m-o).
|
|
Biochemical assays were performed in parallel to confirm that the
blockade of JNK signaling attenuates the NRAGE apoptotic pathway.
PC12rtTA cells were infected with AdNRG together with the
JNK pathway inhibitors, lysed, and then analyzed by immunoblot for
activation of the JNK pathway and for induction of caspases. As
expected, NRAGE expression resulted in the phosphorylation and
accumulation of c-Jun, the activation of Caspase-3, and the cleavage of
PARP (Fig. 5A). As predicted, co-expression of NRAGE with
the JNK binding domain of JIP1 blocked NRAGE-induced c-Jun
phosphorylation and prevented the accumulation of c-Jun protein.
Similarly, co-expression of NRAGE with dominant-negative c-Jun
prevented the NRAGE-induced accumulation of c-Jun protein. A reduction
in the level of NRAGE-induced phosphorylated c-Jun was also detected,
which is likely secondary to the reduction in the level of total c-Jun.
Most importantly, NRAGE-dependent Caspase-3 activation and
PARP cleavage were completely blocked when the JNK pathway was
inhibited, demonstrating that the JNK pathway is necessary for
mediation of NRAGE-induced apoptosis.
In neuronal death paradigms, JNK activation precedes mitochondrial
cytochrome c release and Caspase-9 activation. However, some
reports indicate that the JNK pathway can be initiated downstream of
caspases (42-44). The data presented in Fig. 5A demonstrate a reduction in Caspase-3 activity and PARP cleavage in myc-NRAGE expressing cells following co-expression of inhibitors of the JNK
pathway, suggesting that JNK is an activator, rather than a target, of
caspases in the NRAGE-mediated apoptotic pathway. To directly address
this possibility, NRAGE-dependent JNK activation was
assessed in cells treated with caspase inhibitors. Although both
BAF and zVAD-fmk were potent blockers of NRAGE-induced cell death (Fig.
2), neither inhibitor attenuated the NRAGE-mediated activation of c-Jun
or JNK (Fig. 5B), confirming that the observed induction of
the JNK pathway lies upstream of caspase activation.
 |
DISCUSSION |
The specific signaling mechanisms employed by p75NTR to induce
apoptosis remain uncertain. We have previously demonstrated that NRAGE
is a p75NTR-interacting protein that facilitates p75NTR-induced cell
death (18), and in this study we have analyzed the signaling pathways
used by NRAGE to induce apoptosis. By using an inducible adenoviral
expression system, we found that apoptosis induced by NRAGE occurs
through an intrinsic death pathway that involves mitochondrial
cytochrome c release and cleavage of Caspase-9, an apical
caspase, and activation of effector Caspases-3 and -7. We also
demonstrated that NRAGE-induced apoptosis is associated with
MLK-independent activation of JNK and subsequent phosphorylation and
accumulation of c-Jun. Finally, using adenovirus expressing dominant
inhibitory proteins, we established that the activities of JNK and the
c-Jun transcription factor are critical elements required for
NRAGE-induced apoptosis.
Previous studies have indicated that p75NTR, like NRAGE, also activates
the JNK pathway (3, 4, 12, 14, 45). Furthermore, Harrington et
al. (15) have demonstrated that dominant-negative JNK can block
p75NTR-induced apoptosis in oligodendrocytes. The precise signaling
events that link p75NTR-induced JNK activation to caspase activation
are not known, but p75NTR-induced death can be blocked by
overexpression of Bcl-xL and appears to involve the activation of
Caspases-9 and -3 but not Caspase-8 (46-48). Together, these findings
indicate that p75NTR induces apoptosis through a
JNK-dependent activation of the mitochondrial death pathway, thus pointing to a substantial overlap between the apoptotic pathway utilized by p75NTR and that induced by NRAGE. This overlap suggests that p75NTR and NRAGE lie on the same signaling pathway and
adds credence to the hypothesis that NRAGE is an important element in
p75NTR-induced apoptosis.
A remarkable aspect of NRAGE-mediated activation of the JNK pathway is
its insensitivity to the neuroprotective compound CEP1347. CEP1347 has
been shown to reduce apoptosis in several neuronal apoptosis paradigms,
including that induced following trophic factor withdrawal (33-37).
Recent studies have revealed that CEP1347 is a potent inhibitor of
MAP3Ks that lie on the JNK pathway (35). In this study, we confirm that
CEP1347 is very effective in blocking JNK activation induced by MLK-3
but also show that NRAGE-dependent activation of the JNK
pathway is not affected by this compound, therefore suggesting that in
PC12 cells, NRAGE-mediated JNK activation occurs independently of the
MLKs. Data reported by Yoon et al. (13) suggest a similar
MLK independence in the case of p75NTR-induced JNK activation and
subsequent apoptosis of cultured oligodendrocytes. CEP1347 is a potent
inhibitor of MLK activity with maximal inhibition of MLK-induced cell
death occurring at a concentration of 100 nM (35). However,
Yoon et al. found no significant inhibition of
p75NTR-mediated death at a CEP1347 concentration of 100 nM and only a partial inhibition at a concentration of 1 µM
(13), suggesting that the observed inhibition of apoptosis was because of an MLK-independent effect of CEP1347. In contrast, Friedman (3)
reported a complete inhibition of p75-induced death of hippocampal
neurons after treatment with 200 nM CEP1347, suggesting a
role for MLK activity in the p75NTR-induced death in this cell type.
These disparate results hint at the existence of cell type-specific differences in the mechanism of the p75NTR-mediated activation of JNK,
presumably reflecting cell-specific expression of individual interactor proteins.
NRAGE is a member of the MAGE family of proteins. The MAGE molecules
initially identified were exclusively expressed in tumor cells, germ
cells, or in the early embryo (49). However, subsequent studies
revealed that additional family members, including NRAGE, belong to a
distinct class of MAGE proteins expressed in several normal fetal and
adult tissues. The molecular function of MAGE proteins still remains
ill-defined, but the experiments described above suggest a novel role
for MAGE proteins in regulation of cell survival through modulation of
the JNK pathway. Others have recently detected an interaction between
NRAGE and the anti-apoptotic protein XIAP (50) and have proposed that
NRAGE may act to sequester and inactivate this protein, leading to a
potentiation of caspase-mediated cell death in a promyeloid leukemic
cell line. In this setting, Bcl-2 overexpression had no effect on NRAGE
activity (50), suggesting that NRAGE may act downstream of cytochrome
c release. Together with our results, these observations
suggest that NRAGE may contribute to apoptosis through at least two
distinct mechanisms.
NRAGE represents the first p75NTR-interacting protein that induces cell
death through the activation of the JNK pathway. NRIF, another
p75NTR-interacting protein (16), may play a role in mediating the
p75NTR apoptotic signal because NRIF knock-out mice show a defect
similar to p75NTR knock-outs in the apoptosis of retinal neurons (16).
However, mechanistic details remain to be defined, and as yet there is
no data directly linking apoptosis mediated by NRIF to that induced by
p75NTR. NADE is another p75NTR interactor believed to initiate
apoptosis (17). The mechanism of NADE-dependent cell death
is also unknown but appears to require a member of the 14-3-3 family
(51). Other interactors, such as SC-1 and RhoA, have not been proposed
to have a role in p75NTR-mediated apoptosis (52, 53), whereas RIP2 and
FAP1 may oppose the p75NTR cell death signal by regulating components
of the NF B pathway (54, 55). TRAF6 has been proposed as a positive
regulator of the JNK pathway (54, 56), but its main function as a
p75NTR interactor appears to be to promote pro-survival signals via the activation of the NF B pathway (55, 57, 58). Therefore, the capacity
of NRAGE to mediate JNK-dependent apoptosis indicates that
this interactor may be a unique physiological mediator of p75NTR-dependent JNK and apoptotic signaling.
 |
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS |
We thank Aviva Tolkovsky for providing the
truncated-JIP1 adenovirus, David Kaplan for MLK3 adenovirus, and Aegera
Therapeutics for the dominant-negative c-Jun adenovirus. We also thank
Sandra McPherson, Farid Arab Said, and Genevieve Dorval for technical assistance in the construction, amplification, and titration of adenovirus.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
*
This work was supported by grants from the Canadian
Institute of Health Research (to P. A. B.).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.
§
Supported by a National Cancer Institute of Canada studentship.
A Killam Foundation Scholar. To whom correspondence should be
addressed: Montreal Neurological Inst., McGill University, 3801 University St., Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada. Tel.: 514-398-3064; Fax: 514-398-5214; E-mail: phil.barker@mcgill.ca.
Published, JBC Papers in Press, October 9, 2002, DOI 10.1074/jbc.M205324200
 |
ABBREVIATIONS |
The abbreviations used are:
p75NTR, p75
neurotrophin receptor;
JNK, c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase;
JIP, JNK-interacting protein;
JBD, JNK binding domain;
MLK, mixed lineage
kinase;
EGFP, enhanced green fluorescence protein;
MOPS, 4-morpholinepropanesulfonic acid;
MTT, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide;
LDH, lactate dehydrogenase;
m.o.i., multiplicity of infection;
PARP, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase;
BAF, Boc-Asp-fmk;
Ad, adenovirus;
HA, hemagglutinin.
 |
REFERENCES |
| 1.
|
Barrett, G. L.
(2000)
Prog. Neurobiol.
61,
205-229[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 2.
|
Davey, F.,
and Davies, A. M.
(1998)
Curr. Biol.
8,
915-918[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 3.
|
Friedman, W. J.
(2000)
J. Neurosci.
20,
6340-6346[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 4.
|
Bamji, S. X.,
Majdan, M.,
Pozniak, C. D.,
Belliveau, D. J.,
Aloyz, R.,
Kohn, J.,
Causing, C. G.,
and Miller, F. D.
(1998)
J. Cell Biol.
140,
911-923[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 5.
|
Soilu-Hanninen, M.,
Ekert, P.,
Bucci, T.,
Syroid, D.,
Bartlett, P. F.,
and Kilpatrick, T. J.
(1999)
J. Neurosci.
19,
4828-4838[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 6.
|
Bunone, G.,
Mariotti, A.,
Compagni, A.,
Morandi, E.,
and Della Valle, G.
(1997)
Oncogene
14,
1463-1470[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 7.
|
Frago, L. M.,
Leon, Y.,
de la Rosa, E. J.,
Gomez-Munoz, A.,
and Varela-Nieto, I.
(1998)
J. Cell Sci.
111,
549-556[Abstract], (Pt. 5)
|
| 8.
|
Majdan, M.,
Lachance, C.,
Gloster, A.,
Aloyz, R.,
Zeindler, C.,
Bamji, S.,
Bhakar, A.,
Belliveau, D.,
Fawcett, J.,
Miller, F. D.,
and Barker, P. A.
(1997)
J. Neurosci.
17,
6988-6998[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 9.
|
Frade, J. M.,
Rodriguez-Tebar, A.,
and Barde, Y. A.
(1996)
Nature
383,
166-168[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 10.
|
Frade, J. M.,
and Barde, Y. A.
(1999)
Development
126,
683-690[Abstract]
|
| 11.
|
Agerman, K.,
Baudet, C.,
Fundin, B.,
Willson, C.,
and Ernfors, P.
(2000)
Mol. Cell. Neurosci.
16,
258-268[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 12.
|
Casaccia-Bonnefil, P.,
Carter, B. D.,
Dobrowsky, R. T.,
and Chao, M. V.
(1996)
Nature
383,
716-719[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 13.
|
Yoon, S. O.,
Casaccia-Bonnefil, P.,
Carter, B.,
and Chao, M. V.
(1998)
J. Neurosci.
18,
3273-3281[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 14.
|
Roux, P. P.,
Bhakar, A. L.,
Kennedy, T. E.,
and Barker, P. A.
(2001)
J. Biol. Chem.
276,
23097-23104[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 15.
|
Harrington, A. W.,
Kim, J. Y.,
and Yoon, S. O.
(2002)
J. Neurosci.
22,
156-166[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 16.
|
Casademunt, E.,
Carter, B. D.,
Benzel, I.,
Frade, J. M.,
Dechant, G.,
and Barde, Y. A.
(1999)
EMBO J.
18,
6050-6061[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 17.
|
Mukai, J.,
Hachiya, T.,
Shoji-Hoshino, S.,
Kimura, M. T.,
Nadano, D.,
Suvanto, P.,
Hanaoka, T., Li, Y.,
Irie, S.,
Greene, L. A.,
and Sato, T. A.
(2000)
J. Biol. Chem.
275,
17566-17570[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 18.
|
Salehi, A. H.,
Roux, P. P.,
Kubu, C. J.,
Zeindler, C.,
Bhakar, A.,
Tannis, L. L.,
Verdi, J. M.,
and Barker, P. A.
(2000)
Neuron
27,
279-288[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 19.
|
Harding, T. C.,
Xue, L.,
Bienemann, A.,
Haywood, D.,
Dickens, M.,
Tolkovsky, A. M.,
and Uney, J. B.
(2001)
J. Biol. Chem.
276,
4531-4534[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 20.
|
Whitfield, J.,
Neame, S. J.,
Paquet, L.,
Bernard, O.,
and Ham, J.
(2001)
Neuron
29,
629-643[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 21.
| Roux, P. P., Dorval, G., Boudreau, M., Angers-Loustau, A., Morris,
S. J., Makkerh, J., and Barker, P. A. (2002) J. Biol.
Chem., in press
|
| 22.
|
Quantum Biotechnology, Inc..
(2000)
Ad Easy Vector System Application Manual, Version 1.2
, Quantum Biotechnologies, Montreal, Canada
|
| 23.
|
Thornberry, N. A.,
Rano, T. A.,
Peterson, E. P.,
Rasper, D. M.,
Timkey, T.,
Garcia-Calvo, M.,
Houtzager, V. M.,
Nordstrom, P. A.,
Roy, S.,
Vaillancourt, J. P.,
Chapman, K. T.,
and Nicholson, D. W.
(1997)
J. Biol. Chem.
272,
17907-17911[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 24.
|
Samali, A.,
Cai, J.,
Zhivotovsky, B.,
Jones, D. P.,
and Orrenius, S.
(1999)
EMBO J.
18,
2040-2048[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 25.
|
Budihardjo, I.,
Oliver, H.,
Lutter, M.,
Luo, X.,
and Wang, X.
(1999)
Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol.
15,
269-290[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 26.
|
Kidd, V. J.
(1998)
Annu. Rev. Physiol.
60,
533-573[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 27.
|
Gorman, A. M.,
Ceccatelli, S.,
and Orrenius, S.
(2000)
Dev. Neurosci.
2 ((5-6)),
348-358
|
| 28.
|
Li, H.,
Zhu, H., Xu, C. J.,
and Yuan, J.
(1998)
Cell
94,
491-501[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 29.
|
Ham, J.,
Eilers, A.,
Whitfield, J.,
Neame, S. J.,
and Shah, B.
(2000)
Biochem. Pharmacol.
60,
1015-1021[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 30.
|
Chen, Y. R.,
and Tan, T. H.
(2000)
Int. J. Oncol.
16,
651-662[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 31.
|
Angel, P.,
Hattori, K.,
Smeal, T.,
and Karin, M.
(1988)
Cell
55,
875-885[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 32.
|
Pulverer, B. J.,
Kyriakis, J. M.,
Avruch, J.,
Nikolakaki, E.,
and Woodgett, J. R.
(1991)
Nature
353,
670-674[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 33.
|
Maroney, A. C.,
Glicksman, M. A.,
Basma, A. N.,
Walton, K. M.,
Knight, E., Jr.,
Murphy, C. A.,
Bartlett, B. A.,
Finn, J. P.,
Angeles, T.,
Matsuda, Y.,
Neff, N. T.,
and Dionne, C. A.
(1998)
J. Neurosci.
18,
104-111[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 34.
|
Maroney, A. C.,
Finn, J. P.,
Bozyczko-Coyne, D.,
O'Kane, T. M.,
Neff, N. T.,
Tolkovsky, A. M.,
Park, D. S.,
Yan, C. Y.,
Troy, C. M.,
and Greene, L. A.
(1999)
J. Neurochem.
73,
1901-1912[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 35.
|
Maroney, A. C.,
Finn, J. P.,
Connors, T. J.,
Durkin, J. T.,
Angeles, T.,
Gessner, G., Xu, Z.,
Meyer, S. L.,
Savage, M. J.,
Greene, L. A.,
Scott, R. W.,
and Vaught, J. L.
(2001)
J. Biol. Chem.
276,
25302-25308[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 36.
|
Mota, M.,
Reeder, M.,
Chernoff, J.,
and Bazenet, C. E.
(2001)
J. Neurosci.
21,
4949-4957[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 37.
|
Xu, Z.,
Maroney, A. C.,
Dobrzanski, P.,
Kukekov, N. V.,
and Greene, L. A.
(2001)
Mol. Cell. Biol.
21,
4713-4724[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 38.
|
Ham, J.,
Babij, C.,
Whitfield, J.,
Pfarr, C. M.,
Lallemand, D.,
Yaniv, M.,
and Rubin, L. L.
(1995)
Neuron
14,
927-939[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 39.
|
Leppa, S.,
Eriksson, M.,
Saffrich, R.,
Ansorge, W.,
and Bohmann, D.
(2001)
Mol. Cell. Biol.
21,
4369-4378[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 40.
|
Almeida, E. A.,
Ilic, D.,
Han, Q.,
Hauck, C. R.,
Jin, F.,
Kawakatsu, H.,
Schlaepfer, D. D.,
and Damsky, C. H.
(2000)
J. Cell Biol.
149,
741-754[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 41.
|
Kuan, C. Y.,
Yang, D. D.,
Samanta Roy, D. R.,
Davis, R. J.,
Rakic, P.,
and Flavell, R. A.
(1999)
Neuron
22,
667-676[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 42.
|
Frisch, S. M.,
Vuori, K.,
Kelaita, D.,
and Sicks, S.
(1996)
J. Cell Biol.
135,
1377-1382[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 43.
|
Cahill, M. A.,
Peter, M. E.,
Kischkel, F. C.,
Chinnaiyan, A. M.,
Dixit, V. M.,
Krammer, P. H.,
and Nordheim, A.
(1996)
Oncogene
13,
2087-2096[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 44.
|
Cardone, M. H.,
Salvesen, G. S.,
Widmann, C.,
Johnson, G.,
and Frisch, S. M.
(1997)
Cell
90,
315-323[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 45.
|
Brann, A. B.,
Tcherpakov, M.,
Williams, I. M.,
Futerman, A. H.,
and Fainzilber, M.
(2002)
J. Biol. Chem.
277,
9812-9818[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 46.
|
Gu, C.,
Casaccia-Bonnefil, P.,
Srinivasan, A.,
and Chao, M. V.
(1999)
J. Neurosci.
19,
3043-3049[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 47.
|
Coulson, E. J.,
Reid, K.,
Barrett, G. L.,
and Bartlett, P. F.
(1999)
J. Biol. Chem.
274,
16387-16391[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 48.
|
Wang, X.,
Bauer, J. H., Li, Y.,
Shao, Z.,
Zetoune, F. S.,
Cattaneo, E.,
and Vincenz, C.
(2001)
J. Biol. Chem.
276,
33812-33820[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 49.
|
Barker, P. A.,
and Salehi, A.
(2002)
J. Neurosci. Res.
67,
705-712[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 50.
|
Jordan, B. W.,
Dinev, D.,
LeMellay, V.,
Troppmair, J.,
Gotz, R.,
Wixler, L.,
Sendtner, M.,
Ludwig, S.,
and Rapp, U. R.
(2001)
J. Biol. Chem.
276,
39985-39989[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 51.
|
Kimura, M. T.,
Irie, S.,
Shoji-Hoshino, S.,
Mukai, J.,
Nadano, D.,
Oshimura, M.,
and Sato, T. A.
(2001)
J. Biol. Chem.
276,
17291-17300[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 52.
|
Chittka, A.,
and Chao, M. V.
(1999)
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.
96,
10705-10710[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 53.
|
Yamashita, T.,
Tucker, K. L.,
and Barde, Y. A.
(1999)
Neuron
24,
585-593[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 54.
|
Khursigara, G.,
Bertin, J.,
Yano, H.,
Moffett, H.,
DiStefano, P. S.,
and Chao, M. V.
(2001)
J. Neurosci.
21,
5854-5863[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 55.
|
Irie, S.,
Hachiya, T.,
Rabizadeh, S.,
Maruyama, W.,
Mukai, J., Li, Y.,
Reed, J. C.,
Bredesen, D. E.,
and Sato, T. A.
(1999)
FEBS Lett.
460,
191-198[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 56.
|
Bradley, J. R.,
and Pober, J. S.
(2001)
Oncogene
20,
6482-6491[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
|
| 57.
|
Khursigara, G.,
Orlinick, J. R.,
and Chao, M. V.
(1999)
J. Biol. Chem.
274,
2597-2600[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
| 58.
|
Ye, X.,
Mehlen, P.,
Rabizadeh, S.,
VanArsdale, T.,
Zhang, H.,
Shin, H.,
Wang, J. J.,
Leo, E.,
Zapata, J.,
Hauser, C. A.,
Reed, J. C.,
and Bredesen, D. E.
(1999)
J. Biol. Chem.
274,
30202-30208[Abstract/Free Full Text]
|
Copyright © 2002 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

CiteULike Complore Connotea Del.icio.us Digg Reddit Technorati What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. Volosin, C. Trotter, A. Cragnolini, R. S. Kenchappa, M. Light, B. L. Hempstead, B. D. Carter, and W. J. Friedman
Induction of Proneurotrophins and Activation of p75NTR-Mediated Apoptosis via Neurotrophin Receptor-Interacting Factor in Hippocampal Neurons after Seizures
J. Neurosci.,
September 24, 2008;
28(39):
9870 - 9879.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
J. M. Bischof, C. L. Stewart, and R. Wevrick
Inactivation of the mouse Magel2 gene results in growth abnormalities similar to Prader-Willi syndrome
Hum. Mol. Genet.,
November 15, 2007;
16(22):
2713 - 2719.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. G. Di Certo, N. Corbi, T. Bruno, S. Iezzi, F. De Nicola, A. Desantis, M. T. Ciotti, E. Mattei, A. Floridi, M. Fanciulli, et al.
NRAGE associates with the anti-apoptotic factor Che-1 and regulates its degradation to induce cell death
J. Cell Sci.,
June 1, 2007;
120(11):
1852 - 1858.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
T. Kuwajima, I. Nishimura, and K. Yoshikawa
Necdin promotes GABAergic neuron differentiation in cooperation with Dlx homeodomain proteins.
J. Neurosci.,
May 17, 2006;
26(20):
5383 - 5392.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. Lee, C. L. Walker, B. Karten, S. L. Kuny, A. A. Tennese, M. A. O'Neill, and R. Wevrick
Essential role for the Prader-Willi syndrome protein necdin in axonal outgrowth
Hum. Mol. Genet.,
March 1, 2005;
14(5):
627 - 637.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
A. J. K. Williamson, B. C. Dibling, J. R. Boyne, P. Selby, and S. A. Burchill
Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor-induced Cell Death Is Effected through Sustained Activation of p38MAPK and Up-regulation of the Death Receptor p75NTR
J. Biol. Chem.,
November 12, 2004;
279(46):
47912 - 47928.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
T. Kuwajima, H. Taniura, I. Nishimura, and K. Yoshikawa
Necdin Interacts with the Msx2 Homeodomain Protein via MAGE-D1 to Promote Myogenic Differentiation of C2C12 Cells
J. Biol. Chem.,
September 24, 2004;
279(39):
40484 - 40493.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. Laduron, R. Deplus, S. Zhou, O. Kholmanskikh, D. Godelaine, C. De Smet, S. D. Hayward, F. Fuks, T. Boon, and E. De Plaen
MAGE-A1 interacts with adaptor SKIP and the deacetylase HDAC1 to repress transcription
Nucleic Acids Res.,
August 17, 2004;
32(14):
4340 - 4350.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
D. E. Albrecht and S. C. Froehner
DAMAGE, a Novel {alpha}-Dystrobrevin-associated MAGE Protein in Dystrophin Complexes
J. Biol. Chem.,
February 20, 2004;
279(8):
7014 - 7023.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
P. Mehlen and D. E. Bredesen
Meeting Report: Cellular Dependence--Old Concept, New Mechanisms
Sci. Signal.,
December 16, 2003;
2003
(213):
pe55 - pe55.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
A. L. Bhakar, J. L. Howell, C. E. Paul, A. H. Salehi, E. B. E. Becker, F. Said, A. Bonni, and P. A. Barker
Apoptosis Induced by p75NTR Overexpression Requires Jun Kinase-Dependent Phosphorylation of Bad
J. Neurosci.,
December 10, 2003;
23(36):
11373 - 11381.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
R. Qi, H. An, Y. Yu, M. Zhang, S. Liu, H. Xu, Z. Guo, T. Cheng, and X. Cao
Notch1 Signaling Inhibits Growth of Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma through Induction of Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis
Cancer Res.,
December 1, 2003;
63(23):
8323 - 8329.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. V. Chao
Dependence Receptors: What Is the Mechanism?
Sci. Signal.,
September 16, 2003;
2003(200):
pe38 - pe38.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
T. Matsuda, H. Suzuki, I. Oishi, S. Kani, Y. Kuroda, T. Komori, A. Sasaki, K. Watanabe, and Y. Minami
The Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Ror2 Associates with the Melanoma-associated Antigen (MAGE) Family Protein Dlxin-1 and Regulates Its Intracellular Distribution
J. Biol. Chem.,
August 1, 2003;
278(31):
29057 - 29064.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
W. Tan, S. Rouen, K. M. Barkus, Y. S. Dremina, D. Hui, J. A. Christianson, D. E. Wright, S. O. Yoon, and R. T. Dobrowsky
Nerve Growth Factor Blocks the Glucose-induced Down-regulation of Caveolin-1 Expression in Schwann Cells via p75 Neurotrophin Receptor Signaling
J. Biol. Chem.,
June 13, 2003;
278(25):
23151 - 23162.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. E. Williams, P. Strickland, K. Watanabe, and L. Hinck
UNC5H1 Induces Apoptosis via Its Juxtamembrane Region through an Interaction with NRAGE
J. Biol. Chem.,
May 2, 2003;
278(19):
17483 - 17490.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
F. C. Bronfman, M. Tcherpakov, T. M. Jovin, and M. Fainzilber
Ligand-Induced Internalization of the p75 Neurotrophin Receptor: A Slow Route to the Signaling Endosome
J. Neurosci.,
April 15, 2003;
23(8):
3209 - 3220.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|
Copyright © 2002 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
|
Advertisement
Advertisement
|