E4orf4 induces PP2A- and Src-dependent cell death in Drosophila melanogaster and at the same time inhibits classic apoptosis pathways

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 May 7;110(19):E1724-33. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1220282110. Epub 2013 Apr 23.

Abstract

The adenovirus E4orf4 protein regulates the progression of viral infection, and when expressed alone in mammalian tissue culture cells it induces protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A)-B55- and Src-dependent cell death, which is more efficient in oncogene-transformed cells than in normal cells. This form of cell death is caspase-independent, although it interacts with classic caspase-dependent apoptosis. PP2A-B55-dependent E4orf4-induced toxicity is highly conserved in evolution from yeast to mammalian cells. In this work we investigated E4orf4-induced cell death in a whole multicellular organism, Drosophila melanogaster. We show that E4orf4 induced low levels of cell killing, caused by both caspase-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Drosophila PP2A-B55 (twins/abnormal anaphase resolution) and Src64B contributed additively to this form of cell death. Our results provide insight into E4orf4-induced cell death, demonstrating that in parallel to activating caspase-dependent apoptosis, E4orf4 also inhibited this form of cell death induced by the proapoptotic genes reaper, head involution defective, and grim. The combination of both induction and inhibition of caspase-dependent cell death resulted in low levels of tissue damage that may explain the inefficient cell killing induced by E4orf4 in normal cells in tissue culture. Furthermore, E4orf4 inhibited JNK-dependent cell killing as well. However, JNK inhibition did not impede E4orf4-induced toxicity and even enhanced it, indicating that E4orf4-induced cell killing is a distinctive form of cell death that differs from both JNK- and Rpr/Hid/Grim-induced forms of cell death.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis*
  • Caspases / metabolism
  • Conserved Sequence
  • Drosophila Proteins / metabolism*
  • Drosophila melanogaster / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic*
  • Male
  • Models, Genetic
  • Phenotype
  • Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / metabolism*
  • Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate / physiology
  • Transgenes
  • Viral Proteins / genetics*
  • Viral Proteins / metabolism
  • Wings, Animal / physiology
  • src-Family Kinases / metabolism*

Substances

  • Drosophila Proteins
  • E4orf4 protein, adenovirus
  • Viral Proteins
  • src-Family Kinases
  • Phosphoprotein Phosphatases
  • tws protein, Drosophila
  • Caspases