Activation of protein kinase C attenuates early signals in Fas-mediated apoptosis

Activation of protein kinase C (PKC) has been reported to inhibit Fas (APO-1, CD95)-mediated apoptosis in different cellular systems. Human Jurkat leukemic T cells express the Fas antigen in the cell membrane and undergo apoptosis upon cross-linking by anti-Fas monoclonal antibodies (mAb). Cleavage of the apoptosis-associated protease CPP32 and its substrate poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase are observed after the engagement of Fas antigen with mAb. In this report, we show that all these effects are substantially inhibited by the activation of PKC with a phorbol ester. Bisindolylmaleimide, an inhibitor of PKC, prevents phorbol ester-induced down-regulation of Fas signaling. Inhibition of Fas-mediated cell death by phorbol ester is also observed in other human leukemic T cell lines. Cross-linking of Fas antigen by mAb results in the rapid increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of several protein substrates which is further elevated in the presence of the protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, orthovanadate. Furthermore, orthovanadate markedly enhances the cell death response to Fas mAb in different human leukemic T cell. lines and human T cell blasts. These effects of orthovanadate on early tyrosine phosphorylation and cell death are clearly diminished by PKC activation. These results strongly suggest that tyrosine phosphorylation is involved in Fas signaling in apoptosis and that PKC plays a negative role in Fas-mediated apoptosis by counteracting at a very early stage the signals generated following cross-linking of this receptor.