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We and others have recently shown that loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψ) precedes apoptosis and chemical-hypoxia-induced necrosis and is prevented by Bcl-2. In this report, we examine the biochemical mechanism used by Bcl-2 to prevent Δψ loss, as determined with mitochondria isolated from a cell line overexpressing human Bcl-2 or from livers of Bcl-2 transgenic mice. Although Bcl-2 had no effect on the respiration rate of isolated mitochondria, it prevented both Δψ loss and the permeability transition (PT) induced by various reagents, including Ca 2+ , H 2 O 2 , and tert -butyl hydroperoxide. Even under conditions that did not allow PT, Bcl-2 maintained Δψ, suggesting that the functional target of Bcl-2 is regulation of Δψ but not PT. Bcl-2 also maintained Δψ in the presence of the protonophore SF6847, which induces proton influx, suggesting that Bcl-2 regulates ion transport to maintain Δψ. Although treatment with SF6847 in the absence of Ca 2+ caused massive H + influx in control mitochondria, the presence of Bcl-2 induced H + efflux after transient H + influx. In this case, Bcl-2 did not enhance K + efflux. Furthermore, Bcl-2 enhanced H + efflux but not K + flux after treatment of mitochondria with Ca 2+ or tert -butyl hydroperoxide. These results suggest that Bcl-2 maintains Δψ by enhancing H + efflux in the presence of Δψ-loss-inducing stimuli.

Proteases of the caspase family are implicated in mammalian apoptosis and constitute a protease cascade. We characterized caspase-4 (TX/ICH-2/ICErelII) and caspase-5 (ICErelIII/TY), which are most closely related to caspase-1 (ICE) among the caspase family. Although overexpression of caspase-4 and caspase-5 induced apoptosis, confirming previous observations, this apoptosis was not inhibited by a caspase-1-specific tetrapeptide inhibitor (Ac-YVAD-CHO), suggesting that caspase-4 and caspase-5 have different substrate specificities from caspase-1 and also that caspase-4- and caspase-5-induced apoptosis is not mediated by caspase-1. CrmA, a cowpox virus-derived caspase-1 inhibitor that prevents apoptosis induced by various stimuli, was cleaved by caspase-4 and caspase-5, and inhibited their proteolytic activity as assessed by cleavage of pro-caspase-3 (pro-CPP32/Yama/apopain). Thus, caspase-4 and caspase-5 are CrmA-inhibitable proteases like caspase-1 and might be involved in apoptosis.

Proteases of the caspase family, especially caspase-1 (ICE)(-like), caspase-3 (CPP32/Yama/apopain)(-like) and caspase-8 (MACH/FLICE/Mch5) proteases, are implicated in Fas (APO-1/CD95)-mediated apoptosis. Here, we show that the caspase-4 (TX/ICH-2/ICE(rel)II)(-like) protease, another member of the caspase family, is also involved in Fas-mediated apoptosis, based upon the observations: (i) caspase-4 is processed in response to an agonistic anti-Fas antibody treatment, (ii) overexpression of a mutant caspase-4 with active site mutations in both p20 and p10 subunits delays Fas-mediated apoptosis, (iii) microinjected anti-caspase-4 antibodies inhibit Fas-mediated apoptosis. Together with our observations that the mutant caspase-4 inhibits the Fas-mediated activation of caspase-3(-like) proteases and purified caspase-4 cleaves pro-caspase-3 to generate a subunit of active form, these results suggest that Fas-mediated apoptosis is driven by a caspase cascade in which the caspase-4(-like) protease transmits a death signal from caspase-8 to caspase-3(-like) proteases probably through directly cleaving pro-caspase-3(-like) proteases.