Endogenous and exogenous ARC in serum withdrawal mediated PC12 cell apoptosis: a new pro-apoptotic role for ARC

The role of ARC (Apoptosis Repressor with Caspase Recruitment Domain) in PC12 cell serum withdrawal driven apoptosis was studied. A progressive and massive increase in ARC protein occurs during serum withdrawal that correlates with declining survival and processing of caspase-2, previously shown to associate with ARC. This accumulation of ARC occurs in a transcriptional and translational independent manner. Additionally, ARC is localized exclusively in the nucleus of PC12 cells. Furthermore, transfection of PC12 cells with hARC-Flag promotes death and fails to protect the cells from apoptosis by serum withdrawal. Therefore, ARC functions in a pro-apoptotic manner in PC12 cell serum withdrawal induced apoptosis.