Spermine triggers the activation of caspase‐3 in a cell‐free model of apoptosis

FEBS Letters

Pignatti, Carla¹  Bonavita, Francesca¹  Flamigni, Flavio¹  Caldarera, Claudio M¹  Stefanelli, Claudio¹  Guarnieri, Carlo¹  Stanic’, Ivana¹ 

[1] Department of Biochemistry ‘G. Moruzzi’, University of Bologna, Via Irnerio, 48, I-40126 Bologna, Italy

关键词: Apoptosis;    Caspase;    Cytochrome c;    Polyamine;    Spermine;    Ac-DEVD-AMC;    acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-amido-4-methylcoumarin;   

DOI  :  10.1016/S0014-5793(99)00549-9

学科分类：生物化学/生物物理

来源: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

【 摘 要 】

Polyamines are ubiquitous organic cations required for cell proliferation. However, some evidence suggested that their excessive accumulation can induce apoptosis. We show here that, in a post-nuclear extract from U937 cells, the addition of spermine triggers the death program, represented by cytochrome c exit from mitochondria, the dATP-dependent processing of pro-caspase-3 and the onset of caspase activity. Spermine is more effective than spermidine, whereas putrescine has no effect. Polyamine acetylation abolishes their pro-apoptotic power. These data demonstrate a direct mechanism responsible for polyamine toxicity and also suggest that an excessive elevation of free polyamines could be involved in the transduction of a death signal.

【 授权许可】

Unknown