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Cathepsin B and its interacting proteins, bikunin and TSRC1, correlate with TNF-induced apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells OV-90.

Liu J, Guo Q, Chen B, Yu Y, Lu H, Li YY

State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Institute of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai 200433, PR China.

Increasing evidence suggests that lysosomal cysteine proteases cathepsins contribute to the progression of cell apoptosis. Here we found that apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells OV-90 triggered by TNF was cathepsin B-depended. Two cathepsin B binding proteins, bikunin and TSRC1, were identified by yeast two-hybrid method and the interactions were confirmed in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of bikunin could suppress TNF-induced apoptosis of OV-90 cells, and TSRC1 overexpression had an opposite effect on apoptosis. The presented results suggest that cathepsin B and its interacting proteins, bikunin and TSRC1, are involved in the apoptotic pathway of ovarian cancer cells.

Published 2 January 2006 in FEBS Lett, 580(1): 245-50.
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