Cellular redox imbalance and changes of protein S-glutathionylation patterns are associated with senescence induced by oncogenic H-ras

PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e52151. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052151. Epub 2012 Dec 20.

Abstract

H-Ras oncogene requires deregulation of additional oncogenes or inactivation of tumor suppressor proteins to increase cell proliferation rate and transform cells. In fact, the expression of the constitutively activated H-RasV12 induces cell growth arrest and premature senescence, which act like barriers in pre-neoplastic lesions. In our experimental model, human fibroblasts transfected with H-RasV12 show a dramatic modification of morphology. H-RasV12 expressing cells also show premature senescence followed by cell death, induced by autophagy and apoptosis. In this context, we provide evidence that in H-RasV12 expressing cells, the premature senescence is associated with cellular redox imbalance as well as with altered post-translation protein modification. In particular, redox imbalance is due to a strong reduction of total antioxidant capacity, and significant decrease of glutathione level. As the reversible addition of glutathione to cysteinyl residues of proteins is an important post-translational regulative modification, we investigated S-glutathionylation in cells expressing active H-Ras. In this contest we observed different S-glutathionylation patterns in control and H-RasV12 expressing cells. Particularly, the GAPDH enzyme showed S-glutathionylation increase and significant enzyme activity depletion in H-Ras V12 cells. In conclusion, we proposed that antioxidant defense reduction, glutathione depletion and subsequent modification of S-glutathionylation of target proteins contribute to arrest cell growth, leading to death of fibroblasts expressing constitutively active H-Ras oncogene, thus acting as oncogenic barriers that obstacle the progression of cell transformation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antioxidants / pharmacology
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Apoptosis / genetics
  • Apoptosis / physiology
  • Autophagy / drug effects
  • Autophagy / genetics
  • Autophagy / physiology*
  • Cell Cycle / drug effects
  • Cell Cycle / genetics
  • Cell Cycle / physiology
  • Cell Death / drug effects
  • Cell Death / genetics
  • Cell Death / physiology
  • Cell Line
  • Cellular Senescence / drug effects
  • Cellular Senescence / genetics
  • Cellular Senescence / physiology*
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional
  • Genes, ras / genetics
  • Genes, ras / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Immunoblotting
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism

Substances

  • Antioxidants
  • Reactive Oxygen Species

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Università Politecnica delle Marche and by "Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Perugia" (2008.021.375) grants to C.E. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.