c-Myc sensitization to oxygen deprivation-induced cell death is dependent on Bax/Bak, but is independent of p53 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1

Deregulated expression of c-Myc can sensitize cells to a variety of death stimuli, including loss of growth factors and oxygen. In this study, we examined whether rodent fibroblasts that conditionally express c-Myc undergo a similar mechanism of cell death in response to serum or oxygen deprivation. Our results demonstrate that murine embryonic fibroblasts from bax(-/-)bak(-/-) mice that conditionally express c-Myc did not die in response to either oxygen or serum deprivation. Fibroblasts from p53(-/-) mice that conditionally express c-Myc died in response to oxygen (but not serum) deprivation. The inability of p53 to regulate oxygen deprivation-induced cell death was due to the lack of induction of p53 target genes Puma, Noxa, and Pten. In contrast, serum deprivation transcriptionally induced Puma and Pten in cells that conditionally express c-Myc. The failure of p53 to regulate oxygen deprivation-induced cell death led us to hypothesize whether hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) might be a critical regulator of cell death during oxygen deprivation. Fibroblasts from HIF-1beta(-/-) cells that conditionally express c-Myc were not able to transcriptionally activate HIF during oxygen deprivation. These cells died in response to oxygen deprivation. Thus, oxygen deprivation-induced cell death in fibroblasts with deregulated expression of c-Myc is independent of p53 or HIF-1 status, but is dependent on the Bcl-2 family member Bax or Bak to initiate mitochondrial dependent cell death.