Sequence-specific transcription factors during glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells

Glucocorticoids (GC) are known to induce programmed cell death (apoptosis) in certain hematologic malignancies, but the molecular basis of this clinically significant phenomenon is poorly understood. GC act via binding to their specific receptor, a ligand-activated transcription factor, and might induce apoptosis by transcriptional activation of "death" or repression of "survival" genes. GC regulate gene expression directly, i.e. via GC responsive elements, or indirectly by modulating the activity of other transcription factors such as AP-1, NF-KB, Oct, Ets, and CREB. To analyze possible alterations in the activity of these transcription factors during GC-induced apoptosis, we performed electrophoretic mobility shift assays using the human acute T-cell leukemia line CCRF-CEM C7H2 as a model system. Although AP-1 was highly inducible by phorbol ester treatment, it was almost undetectable in logarithmically growing cells and apparently unregulated during GC-induced apoptosis. Thus, alterations in AP-1 activity do not appear to be involved in GC-induced apoptosis. Oct, Ets, and CREB DNA binding activity were detectable prior to and during GC treatment, and appeared to have been down-regulated after 48 hours. At this time, however, cells had already undergone considerable apoptosis, and this downregulation might reflect cell death-associated protein degradation. In contrast, NF-KB DNA binding activity was reduced 12 to 24 hours after GC exposure but reached levels equal to or higher than pre-treatment levels after 48 hours. Thus, while AP-1, Oct, Ets, and CREB may not be involved in GC-induced apoptosis, the maintenance of NF-KB levels suggests that it may participate in this form of cell death.