2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Functional analysis of a novel apoptosis-inducing gene upregulated in atherosclerotic lesions
| Project/Area Number |
15603003
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
細胞死(アポトーシス)
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| Research Institution | Mukogawa Women's University |
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Principal Investigator |
FUKUO Keisuke Mukogawa Women's University, Food Sciences & Nutrition, Professor, 生活環境学部, 教授 (40156758)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
YASUDA Osamu Osaka University medical School, Geriatric Medicine, Assistant Professor, 医学系研究科, 助手 (00372615)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2003 – 2004
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| Keywords | Apoptosis / Mitochondria / Gene / Cytochrome C / Atherosclerosis |
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| Research Abstract |
Apoptosis, a programmed cell death, regulates many physiological homeostasis. Its deregulation is known to link to many human diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and atherosclerosis (Science 258:468,1992). There are two major pathways for induction of apoptosis. One is the extrinsic or receptor-mediated pathway represented by Fas and tumor necrosis factor α receptor. The other is the intrinsic pathway, in which mitochondria play a crucial role by releasing cytochrome C from the inter-membrane space into the cytoplasm. In this study, we have identified a novel gene upregulated in atherosclerotic lesions in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice, which are a model of atherosclerosis caused by hyperlipidemia. We compared the gene expression profile of vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMC) cultured from atherosclerotic plaque (P) to that from non-plaque in these mice. We succeeded to clone this novel gene and designated it as Apop-1. In order to clarify the function of this gene, A
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pop-1 expression vector, pcDNA3Apop-1, was introduced into cultured VSMC. Interestingly, introduction of this gene induces apoptosis of VSMC by releasing cytochrome C from mitochondria. The conditioned medium of the transfected cells had no capability to induce apoptosis, indicating that Apop-1-induced apoptosis is not mediated through secretary factors. We also demonstrated that Apop-1 gene has a mitochondria localization signal and Apop-1 protein is actually localized in mitochondria in Apop-1-transfected cells. Bcl-2 family proteins are known to regulate the release of cytochrome C from mitochondria. Importantly unlike Bcl-2 family members, Apop-1 possesses neither Bcl-2 homology (BH) nor carboxy terminal transmembrane (TM) domains. In addition, overexpression of Bcl-2 did not suppress Apop-1-induced apoptosis, suggesting that Apop-1 is a novel pro-apoptotic protein that release cytochrome C from mitochondria. We are now generating Apop-1 knockout mice and an adenoviral gene transfection system to analyze the function of this novel gene. Less
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