Involvement of CPP32/Yama-like protease in CPT-11-induced death signal transduction pathway

CPT-11, a derivative of camptothecin (CPT) that interacts with type-I DNA topoisomerase, induced apoptosis in HL60 and Daudi cells in vitro. This cytotoxic activity was time and dose dependent, and was prevented by cycloheximide (CHX), a protein synthesis inhibitor, indicating the requirement of new protein synthesis for CPT-11-induced apoptotic cell death. Ac-Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp-aldehyde (YVAD) and Ac-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-aldehyde (DEVD), synthesized tetrapeptide inhibitors of interleukin(1beta)-converting enzyme (ICE)- and CPP32/Yama-like proteases, were used to examine the CPT-11-induced death signal transduction. These inhibitors blocked CPT-11-induced cytotoxicity in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Cytotoxic activity of SN-38, an active metabolite of CPT-11, was about 1000-fold that of CPT-11 and was also prevented by CHX, YVAD and DEVD. The doses of YVAD, however, were a little too high; the prevention by YVAD is then thought to be non-specific. In addition, lymphocytes obtained from normal and lpr(cg) mutant mice showed similar susceptibility to CPT-11 cytotoxicity. These results indicate the direct involvement of CPP32/Yama-like protease in the CPT-11-induced death signal transduction pathway, and no involvement of Fas antigen in the pathway.