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BackgroundThe ataxia–telangiectasia mutated (ATM) protein kinase plays a central role in coordinating the cellular response to radiation-induced DNA damage. cAMP signaling regulates various cellular responses including metabolism and gene expression. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism through which cAMP signaling regulates ATM activation and cellular responses to ionizing radiation in lung cancer cells.MethodsLung cancer cells were transfected with constitutively active stimulatory G protein (GαsQL), and irradiated with γ-rays. The phosphorylation of ATM and protein phosphatase 2A was analyzed by western blotting, and apoptosis was assessed by western blotting, flow cytometry, and TUNNEL staining. The promoter activity of NF-κB was determined by dual luciferase reporter assay. BALB/c mice were treated with forskolin to assess the effect in the lung tissue.ResultsTransient expression of GαsQL significantly inhibited radiation-induced ATM phosphorylation in H1299 human lung cancer cells. Treatment with okadaic acid or knock down of PP2A B56δ subunit abolished the inhibitory effect of Gαs on radiation-induced ATM phosphorylation. Expression of GαsQL increased phosphorylation of the B56δ and PP2A activity, and inhibition of PKA blocked Gαs-induced PP2A activation. GαsQL enhanced radiation-induced cleavage of caspase-3 and PARP and increased the number of early apoptotic cells. The radiation-induced apoptosis was increased by inhibition of NF-κB using PDTC or inhibition of ATM using KU55933 or siRNA against ATM. Pretreatment of BALB/c mice with forskolin stimulated phosphorylation of PP2A B56δ, inhibited the activation of ATM and NF-κB, and augmented radiation-induced apoptosis in the lung tissue. GαsQL expression decreased the nuclear levels of the p50 and p65 subunits and NF-κB-dependent activity after γ-ray irradiation in H1299 cells. Pretreatment with prostaglandin E2 or isoproterenol increased B56δ phosphorylation, decreased radiation-induced ATM phosphorylation and increased apoptosis.ConclusionscAMP signaling inhibits radiation-induced ATM activation by PKA-dependent activation of PP2A, and this signaling mechanism augments radiation-induced apoptosis by reducing ATM-dependent activation of NF-κB in lung cancer cells.

Increased expression of a number of proinflammatory genes, including IL-8, is associated with inflammatory conditions such as asthma. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR)β, one of the GR isoforms, has been suggested to be upregulated in asthma associated with glucocorticoid insensitivity and to work as a dominant negative inhibitor of wild type GRα. However, recent data suggest that GRβ is not a dominant negative inhibitor of GRα in the transrepressive process and has its own functional role. We investigated the functional role of GRβ expression in the suppressive effect of glucocorticoids on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced IL-8 release in an airway epithelial cell line. GRβ expression was induced by treatment of epithelial cells with either dexamethasone or TNF-α. GRβ was able to inhibit glucocorticoid-induced transcriptional activation mediated by binding to glucocorticoid response elements (GREs). The suppressive effect of dexamethasone on TNF-α-induced IL-8 transcription was not affected by GRβ overexpression, rather GRβ had its own weak suppressive activity on TNF-α-induced IL-8 expression. Overall histone deacetylase activity and histone acetyltransferase activity were not changed by GRβ overexpression, but TNF-α-induced histone H4 acetylation at the IL-8 promoter was decreased with GRβ overexpression. This study suggests that GRβ overexpression does not affect glucocorticoid-induced suppression of IL-8 expression in airway epithelial cells and GRβ induces its own histone deacetylase activity around IL-8 promoter site.

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Crosslinking has been suggested as one of the mechanisms involved in the aging process. Among the various random or enzyme-mediated crosslinking reactions, transglutaminase (TGase)-catalyzed crosslinking activity has been proposed for its possible involvement in cell proliferation, differentiation, carcinogenesis, programmed death, and aging. Moreover, recent findings of TGase C as a putative signal transducer and cell cycle regulator has renewed interest in the study of TGase C in relation to aging phenomena. The ubiquitous presence of TGase C compared to the organ-specific localization of other types of TGases has attracted special attention as a cellular aging device. In the present investigation for in vitro studies, we have compared the pattern of TGase C in young and old human red blood cells, separated by density differentiation, and in early and late-passage or hydrogen peroxide-treated human primary fibroblasts. For in vivo study, we monitored the age-dependent changes of TGase C in the liver and brain tissues of 4, 12, 18, and 24-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats. We obtained evidence that both the activity and protein levels of TGase C were high in old RBC and late-passage or hydrogen peroxide-treated fibroblasts. Similar findings were seen in liver and brain tissue such as age-dependent increases in TGase activity and protein level in an organ-specific pattern. These data suggest that TGase C might play an active role in the cellular process with age.