Role of sphingomyelin-MAPKs pathway in heat-induced apoptosis

Abstract

The role of sphingomyelinase (SMase) activation and mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) activation in cellular apoptosis was investigated during the hyperthermic treatment of HL-60 human leukemia cells. Treating the cells for 1 h at 43°C caused more than 50% of cellular apoptosis within several hours. The neutral-SMase activity in the cells treated for 1 h at 42°C was slightly increased but decreased in the cells treated at 43°C or 44°C for the same period whereas the acid SMase activity was slightly increased after heating the cells at 42°C and 43°C and markedly increased at 44°C for 1 h. Treatment of cells with inhibitors of SMase activation and ceramide formation significantly reduced the heat-induced apoptosis. Three major families of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) i.e. ERK1/2, p38 and JNK, were activated by the hyperthermic treatment of cells. Inhibition of ERK1/2 with PD98059 exerted little effect on the heat-induced apoptosis and p38 inhibition with SB203580 slightly lessened apoptosis whereas, inhibition of JNK with SP600125 markedly suppressed the heat-induced apoptosis. These results indicate that heat-shock induced the activation of SMase, particularly acid-SMase, thereby causing apoptosis and that JNK played a pivotal role in heat-induced apoptosis in HL-60 leukemia cells.