cytochrome-c-t and selenocystine

The role of selenium as potential cancer chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agents has been supported by epidemiological, preclinical and clinical studies. Although cell apoptosis has been evidenced as a critical mechanism mediating the anticancer activity of selenium, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. In the present study, we showed that selenocystine (SeC), a naturally occurring selenoamino acid, induced caspase-independent apoptosis in MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells, which was accompanied by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage, caspase activation, DNA fragmentation, phosphatidylserine exposure and nuclear condensation. Moreover, SeC induced the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)) by regulating the expression and phosphorylation of Bcl-2 family members. Loss of DeltaPsi(m) led to the mitochondrial release of cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) which subsequently translocated into the nucleus and induced chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation. MCF-7 cells exposed to SeC shown increase in total p53 and phosphorylated p53 on serine residues of Ser15, Ser20, and Ser392 prior to mitochondrial dysfunction. Silencing and attenuating of p53 activation with RNA interference and pifithrin-alpha treatment, respectively, partially suppressed SeC-induced cell apoptosis. Furthermore, generation of reactive oxygen species and subsequent induction of DNA strand breaks were found to be upstream cellular events induced by SeC. The thiol-reducing antioxidants, N-acetylcysteine and glutathione, completely blocked the occurrence of cell apoptosis. Taken together, these results suggest that SeC, as a promising anticancer selenocompound, induces MCF-7 cell apoptosis by activating ROS-mediated mitochondrial pathway and p53 phosphorylation.

Topics: Acetylcysteine; Apoptosis; Apoptosis Inducing Factor; Breast Neoplasms; Caspases; Cell Line, Tumor; Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; Cystine; Cytochromes c; Female; Humans; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial; Organoselenium Compounds; Phosphorylation; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; Reactive Oxygen Species; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53

The cancer chemopreventive effect of selenium compounds cannot be fully explained by the role of selenium as a component of antioxidant enzymes, suggesting that other mechanisms, such as thiol oxidation or free radical generation, also underlie this effect. The toxicities of six different selenium compounds (selenite, selenate, selenocystine, selenocystamine, selenodioxide, and selenomethionine) have now been compared in HepG2 human hepatoma cells and isolated rat liver mitochondria. Selenite, selenocystine, and selenodioxide induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells and mediated oxidation of protein thiol groups in both HepG2 cells and isolated mitochondria. Selenocystamine oxidized protein thiol groups in isolated mitochondria and crude extracts of HepG2 cells but not in intact HepG2 cells, suggesting that this compound is not able to cross the cell membrane. The selenium compounds capable of oxidizing thiol groups also induced the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) in isolated mitochondria. Furthermore, they generated the superoxide (O(2) .-) on reaction with glutathione in the presence of mitochondria, and an O(2) .-) scavenger inhibited their induction of the MPT. These results suggest that the pro-apoptotic action of selenium compounds is mediated by both thiol oxidation and the generation of O(2) .-), both of which contribute to opening of the MPT pore.

Topics: Cystamine; Cystine; Cytochromes c; Humans; Mitochondria; Mitochondrial Swelling; Organoselenium Compounds; Oxidation-Reduction; Permeability; Selenium; Selenomethionine; Sodium Selenite; Sulfhydryl Compounds; Superoxides