Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) has been shown to act as an inhibitor of apoptosis. We have also observed an inhibitory effect of HSP70 on apoptotic cell death both in preheated U937 and stably transfected HSP70-overexpressing U937 (U937/HSP70) cells. However, the molecular mechanism whereby HSP70 prevents apoptosis still remains to be solved. To address this issue, we investigated the effect of HSP70 on apoptotic processes in an in vitro system. Caspase-3 cleavage and DNA fragmentation were detected in cytosolic fractions from normal cells upon addition of dATP, but not from preheated U937 or U937/hsp70 cells. Moreover, the addition of purified recombinant HSP70 to normal cytosolic fractions prevented caspase-3 cleavage and DNA fragmentation, suggesting that HSP70 prevents apoptosis upstream of caspase-3 processing. Because cytochrome c was still released from mitochondria into the cytosol by lethal heat shock despite prevention of caspase-3 activation and cell death in both preheated U937 and U937/hsp70 cells, it was evident that HSP70 acts downstream of cytochrome c release. Results obtained in vitro with purified deletion mutants of HSP70 showed that the carboxyl one-third region (from amino acids 438 to 641) including the peptide-binding domain and the carboxylterminal EEVD sequence was essential to prevent caspase-3 processing. From these results, we conclude that HSP70 acts as a strong suppressor of apoptosis acting downstream of cytochrome c release and upstream of caspase-3 activation.

During or right after mRNA export via the nuclear pore complex (NPC) in mammalian cells, mRNAs undergo translation mediated by nuclear cap-binding proteins 80 and 20 (CBP80/20). After CBP80/20-dependent translation, CBP80/20 is replaced by cytoplasmic cap-binding protein eIF4E, which directs steady-state translation. Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), one of the best-characterized mRNA surveillance mechanisms, has been shown to occur on CBP80/20-bound mRNAs. However, despite the tight link between CBP80/20-dependent translation and NMD, the underlying molecular mechanism and cellular factors that mediate CBP80/20-dependent translation remain obscure. Here, we identify a new MIF4G domain-containing protein, CTIF (CBP80/ 20-dependent translation initiation factor). CTIF interacts directly with CBP80 and is part of the CBP80/20-dependent translation initiation complex. Depletion of endogenous CTIF from an in vitro translation system selectively blocks the translation of CBP80-bound mRNAs, while addition of purified CTIF restores it. Accordingly, down-regulation of endogenous CTIF abrogates NMD. Confocal microscopy shows that CTIF is localized to the perinuclear region. Our observations demonstrate the existence of CBP80/20-dependent translation and support the idea that CBP80/20-dependent translation is mechanistically different from steady-state translation through identification of a specific cellular protein, CTIF.[Keywords: CTIF; nonsense-mediated mRNA decay; nuclear cap-binding protein CBP80/20; eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4G; steady-state translation] Supplemental material is available at http://www.genesdev.org.

Since detergent-resistant lipid rafts are involved in pathogen invasion, cholesterol homeostasis, angiogenesis, neurodegenerative diseases and signal transduction, protein identification in the rafts could provide important information to study their function. Here, we analyzed detergent-resistant raft proteins isolated from rat liver by capillary liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Out of 196 proteins identified, 32% belonged to the raft or plasma membrane, 24% to mitochondrial, 20% to microsomal, 7% to miscellaneous, and 17% are unknown proteins. For example, membrane-bound receptors, trimeric GTP-binding proteins, ATP-binding cassette transporters, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins were identified in this analysis. Unexpectedly, there were many mitochondrial proteins, raising a new issue for the presence of mitochondrial rafts or the localization of mitochondrial proteins into plasma membrane rafts. We confirmed that ATP synthase alpha and beta were expressed on the surface of the plasma membrane in HepG2 hepatocytes by immunofluorescence, cell surface biotinylation, and cellular fractionation. They had two distinct biochemical properties, detergent insolubility and low density, suggesting that the ATP synthase complex might be located in plasma membrane rafts as well as in the mitochondria.

In order to detect and identify ubiquitous lipid raft marker proteins, we isolated lipid rafts from different mouse organs, including the liver, lung, large brain, and kidney, and analyzed their proteins via 2-DE. Many protein spots were determined to be ubiquitous in all of the lipid rafts, and were annotated via LC and MS/MS. Twelve proteins were identified as ubiquitous raft proteins, and most of these were determined to be mitochondrial proteins, including mortalin, prohibitin, voltage-dependent anion channel, ATP synthase, NADH dehydrogenase, and ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase. Via immunoblotting, these proteins were shown to exist in detergent-resistant lipid rafts prepared using different organ tissues. Since these oxidationreduction respiratory chains and ATP synthase complex were detected in detergent-resistant lipid raft fractions which had been isolated from the plasma membrane but not from the mitochondria, and found in the cell surface when determined by immunofluoresence and immunohistochemistry, we conclude that plasma membrane lipid rafts might contain oxidation-reduction respiratory chains and ATP synthase complex.

Premature senescence is considered as a cellular defense mechanism to prevent tumorigenesis. Although recent evidences show that c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) is involved in the senescence process, the mechanism for this regulation is not fully understood. Here, we examined the role of JNK in premature senescence of tumor cells. Treatment of cells with the JNK-specific inhibitor SP600125 caused phenotypical changes of senescence and triggered a rapid increase in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and DNA-damage response (DDR) in MCF7 breast carcinoma cells. ROS generation was attributed to the suppression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) phosphorylation, and resulted in DNA damage and p53 activation. Bax did not change their localization to the mitochondria, which is required for apoptosis. The essential roles of JNK and phosphorylated Bcl-2 in preventing premature senescence were confirmed using RNA interference and ectopic expression of mutants of Bcl-2, including phosphomimetic and nonphosphorylatable forms. These findings were evidenced in H460 lung carcinoma cells and primary human embryonic fibroblasts. Altogether, our results showed that loss of JNK activity triggers a Bcl-2/ROS/DDR signaling cascade that ultimately leads to premature senescence, indicating that basal JNK activity is essential in preventing premature senescence.