Butyrate-treated colonic Caco-2 cells exhibit defective integrin-mediated signaling together with increased apoptosis and differentiation

J Cell Physiol. 2003 Dec;197(3):336-47. doi: 10.1002/jcp.10345.

Abstract

We previously reported that the enterocytic differentiation of human colonic Caco-2 cells correlated with alterations in integrin signaling. We now investigated whether differentiation and apoptosis of Caco-2 cells induced by the short-chain fatty acid butyrate (NaBT) was associated with alterations in the integrin-mediated signaling pathway with special interest in the expression and activity of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), of the downstream phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI 3-kinase)-Akt pathway and in the role of the nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB). NaBT increased the level of sucrase. It induced apoptosis as shown by: (1) decreased Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) proteins and increased Bax protein; (2) activation of caspase-3; and (3) increased shedding of apoptotic cells in the medium. This effect was associated with defective integrin-mediated signaling as shown by: (1) down-regulation of beta1 integrin expression; 2) decreased FAK expression and tyrosine phosphorylation; (3) concerted alterations in cytoskeletal and structural focal adhesions proteins (talin, ezrin); and (4) decreased FAK ability to associate with PI 3-kinase. However, in Caco-2 cells, beta1-mediated signaling failed to be activated downstream of FAK and PI 3-kinase at the level of Akt. Transfection studies show that NaBT treatment of Caco-2 cells promoted a significant activation of the NF-kappaB which was probably involved in the NaBT-induced apoptosis. Our results indicate that the prodifferentiating agent NaBT induced apoptosis of Caco-2 cells probably through NF-kappaB activation together with a defective beta1 integrin-FAK-PI 3-kinase pathways signaling.

MeSH terms

  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Apoptosis / physiology*
  • Butyrates / pharmacology
  • Caco-2 Cells
  • Carcinoma / drug therapy
  • Carcinoma / metabolism
  • Carcinoma / physiopathology
  • Caspase 3
  • Caspases / drug effects
  • Caspases / metabolism
  • Cell Adhesion / drug effects
  • Cell Adhesion / physiology*
  • Cell Differentiation / drug effects
  • Cell Differentiation / physiology*
  • Colonic Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Colonic Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Colonic Neoplasms / physiopathology
  • Down-Regulation / drug effects
  • Down-Regulation / physiology
  • Focal Adhesion Kinase 1
  • Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • Humans
  • Integrin beta1 / drug effects
  • Integrin beta1 / metabolism
  • Integrins / drug effects
  • Integrins / metabolism*
  • Intestinal Mucosa / drug effects
  • Intestinal Mucosa / metabolism*
  • NF-kappa B / drug effects
  • NF-kappa B / metabolism
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / drug effects
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / metabolism
  • Phosphorylation / drug effects
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases*
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / drug effects
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / drug effects
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / drug effects
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Signal Transduction / physiology
  • Sucrase / drug effects
  • Sucrase / metabolism

Substances

  • Butyrates
  • Integrin beta1
  • Integrins
  • NF-kappa B
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • Focal Adhesion Kinase 1
  • Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • PTK2 protein, human
  • AKT1 protein, human
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • Sucrase
  • CASP3 protein, human
  • Caspase 3
  • Caspases