Changes of caspase activities involved in apoptosis of a macrophage-like cell line J774.1/JA-4 treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and cycloheximide.

The addition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) together with cycloheximide (CHX) induced apoptosis in a subline of a J774.1 macrophage-like cell line, JA-4, as judged by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) nick end labeling (TUNEL)-staining and poly(adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP)-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-cleavage. Caspase activities were examined in these macrophages in vitro using fluorogenic substrates such as acetyl-DEVD-aminomethyl coumarine (Ac-DEVD-AMC, caspase-3-like), acetyl-YVAD-aminomethyl coumarine (Ac-YVAD-AMC, caspase-1-like), acetyl-VEID-aminomethyl coumarine (Ac-VEID-AMC, caspase-6-like), and carbobenzoxy-IETD-aminofluoro coumarine (Z-IETD-AFC; caspase-8-like). Kinetic studies revealed these caspase activities with different Km and Vmax values in extracts of apoptotic macrophages. In the course of apoptosis, caspase-3-like activity increased first at 75 min, simultaneously with the appearance of TUNEL staining and prior to PARP cleavage, and then caspase-6 and 8-like activities increased at 90 and 105 min, respectively. However, caspase-1-like activity did not change throughout the experiment. Furthermore, removal of LPS and CHX by extensive washing of the cells for 60 min completely abolished the apoptosis and the subsequent release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) during additional incubation until 4 h after LPS addition. However, washing of the cells after 75 min or later resulted in the progress of apoptosis and LDH release, which was coordinated with the elevation of caspase-3-like activity at 60 min and that of caspase-6 or 8-like activity at 90 min, but not with that of caspase-1-like activity. These results suggest that caspase-3-like activity represents the most apical caspase among these caspases in terms of the intiation of apoptosis in macrophages treated with LPS and CHX. In the present study, we also provide evidence on the relatively low specificities of a series of caspase inhibitors other than acetyl-DEVD-aldehyde (Ac-DEVD-CHO) which specifically inhibited the caspase-3-like activity.