Activation of a p53-independent, sphingolipid-mediated cytolytic pathway in p53-negative mouse fibroblast cells treated with N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine.

Sphingolipids such as ceramide are important mediators of apoptosis and growth arrest triggered by ligands such as tumor necrosis factor and Fas-L binding to their receptors. When LM (expressing p53) and LME6 (lacking p53) cells were exposed to the genotoxin N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), both cell lines underwent cytolysis in a very similar manner, suggesting the presence of a p53-independent apoptotic response to this genotoxic stress. To determine whether sphingolipids such as ceramide might serve as mediators in this system, the responses of these cells to exogenous sphingolipids as well as their changes in endogenous sphingolipid levels after DNA damage were examined. Treatment with exogenous C2-ceramide and sphingosine led to cell death in both LM and LME6, and treatment of the LME6 cells with MNNG resulted in a transient increase in intracellular ceramide of approximately 50% over a period of 3 h. Finally, treatment with the de novo inhibitor of ceramide synthesis ISP-1 protected LME6 cells from MNNG-triggered cell death. This MNNG-triggered induction of ceramide was not observed in the p53-expressing LM cells, suggesting that it may be down-regulated by p53. Although ceramide-mediated cell death can proceed in the absence of p53, exogenously added C2-ceramide increased the cellular p53 level in LM cells, suggesting that the two pathways do interact.