Anisomycin affects both pro- and antiapoptotic mechanisms in PC12 cells

Survival and differentiation of PC12 cells depend on the proper balance between the activities of several mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. We have previously shown that low, nontoxic doses of anisomycin stimulated these MAPKs as well as the expression of several early-response genes and inhibited NGF-induced neurite formation. In the present work we show that protein synthesis-inhibiting concentrations of anisomycin, in contrast, cause apoptosis of PC12 cells. To try to characterize the apoptosis-inducing mechanisms of anisomycin we compared the signaling effects of subinhibitory and inhibitory drug concentrations. Anisomycin in a nontoxic dosis activates the same MAPK pathways and early-response genes as in protein synthesis inhibiting concentrations. In contrast, while the subinhibitory anisomycin treatment stimulates Akt and induces Bcl-2, two antiapoptotic proteins, the translation-inhibiting concentration of the drug prevents these survival-promoting biochemical events. Anisomycin thus triggers both pro- and antiapoptotic processes in PC12 cells; stimulation of stress-responsive MAPK cascades is not sufficient to mediate apoptotic signaling: the inhibition of key antiapoptotic proteins appears to be more important for PC12 cell death by anisomycin treatment.