Caspase 3 specifically cleaves p21WAF1/CIP1 in the earlier stage of apoptosis in SK-HEP-1 human hepatoma cells

We report here that p21(WAF1/CIP1), inhibitor of cyclin kinases, underwent proteolytic processing into a smaller fragment, p14. in the early stage of apoptosis in SK-HEP-1 cells. Apoptosis was induced by either staurosporine or ginsenoside Rh2, a ginseng saponin with a dammarane skeleton. Proteolytic processing was the result of caspase-3 activity, which accompanied the early changes in cell morphology and DNA fragmentation. p21(WAF1/CIP1) translated in vitro was cleaved into a pll fragment when incubated with cell extracts obtained from either ginsenoside Rh2-treated or staurosporine-treated cells. Cleavage was equally inhibited in both cases by adding Ac-DEVD-CHO, a specific caspase-3 inhibitor, but nut by Ac-YVAD-CHO. a specific caspase-1 inhibitor: Similarly, p21(WAF1/CIP1) was efficiently cleaved by recombinant caspase-3. overexpressed in Escherichia cati. Moreover, the endogenous p21(WAF1/CIP1) of untreated cell extracts was also cleaved by recombinant caspase-3, as measured by immunoblotting. Mutation analysis allowed identification of two caspase-3 cleavage sites, DHVD112/L, and SMTD149/F, which are located within or near the interaction domains for cyclins, Cdks, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Taken together, these results show that ginsenoside Rh2 and staurosporine increase caspase-3 activity, which in turn directly cleaves p21(WAF1/CIP1) during the early stages of apoptosis. We propose that proteolytic cleavage of p21(WAF1/CIP1) is a functionally relevant event that allows release of thr cyclin/Cdk complex from the p21(WAF1/CIP1) inhibitor, resulting in the elevated levels of cyclin/Cdk kinase activity seen in the earlier stage of apoptosis.