Sponge Bcl-2 homologous protein (BHP2-GC) confers distinct stress resistance to human HEK-293 cells

• Published in: Cell death and differentiation Vol. 8; no. 9; pp. 887 - 898
• Main Authors: Wiens, M, Diehl-Seifert, B, Müller, W E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 01.09.2001
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Antibodies - immunology; Apoptosis; Apoptosis - drug effects; Caspase 3; Caspases - metabolism; Cell death; Cell division; Cell Line; Cell Survival - drug effects; Cloning, Molecular; Drug Resistance; Enzyme Activation - drug effects; Gene expression; Heat-Shock Response - drug effects; Heat-Shock Response - genetics; Hot Temperature; Humans; Mice; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Physiology; Polypeptides; Porifera - cytology; Porifera - drug effects; Porifera - genetics; Protein Structure, Tertiary; Proteins; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 - chemistry; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 - genetics; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 - immunology; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 - metabolism; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Trialkyltin Compounds - pharmacology; Up-Regulation - drug effects; Germany
• ISSN: 1350-9047; 1476-5403
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.cdd.4400906

It is established that sponges, the phylogenetically oldest still extant phylum of Metazoa, possess key molecules of the apoptotic pathways, that is members from the Bcl-2 family and a pro-apoptotic molecule with death domains. Here we report on transfection studies of human cells with a sponge gene, GCBHP2. Sponge tissue was exposed to heat shock and tributyltin, which caused an upregulation of gene expression of GCBHP2. The cDNA GCBHP2 was introduced into human HEK-293 cells and mouse NIH-3T3 cells; the stable transfection was confirmed by the identification of the transcripts, by Western blotting as well as by immunofluorescence using antibodies raised against the recombinant polypeptide. HEK-293 cells, transfected with GCBHP2, showed high resistance to serum starvation and tributyltin treatment, compared to mock-transfected cells. In contrast to mock-transfected cells, GCBHP2-transfected cells activated caspase-3 to a lower extent. Thus, sponges contain gene(s) involved in apoptotic pathway(s) displaying their function also in human cells.