Impaired kinetics of Bax-GFP and Smac/DIABLO-GFP in caspase-8- and bid-silenced and Bcl-2 overexpressed breast cancer MCF-7 cells exposed to camptothecin.

Smac/DIABLO, a proapoptotic protein released from mitochondrial intermembrane space during apoptosis, promotes caspases activation by IAPs neutralization. The kinetics and molecular mechanism of Smac/DIABLO release from mitochondria has remained obscure. Present study is focused on the role of Bid in the control of Bax-GFP and Smac/DIABLO-GFP kinetics in breast cancer MCF-7 cells stimulated to apoptosis with camptothecin (CPT). Minute kinetics of proteins was examined by homeostatic confocal microscopy. The release of Smac/DIABLO-GFP from mitochondria comprised two phases: initial-rapid, lasting 20-30 min and subsequent 30 min-plateau phase, followed by the decrease of Smac/DIABLO-related fluorescence due to cell destruction. The kinetics of Bax-GFP aggregation on mitochondria coincided in time with Smac/DIABLO-GFP release from these organelles. Bid knock down and Bcl-2 overexpression delayed Bax-GFP aggregation and completely inhibited Smac/DIABLO-GFP release from mitochondria. Knock down of caspase 8 (activator of Bid) delayed both Bax-GFP aggregation and Smac/DIABLO-GFP release in CPT-treated cells. In conclusion, Bid protein is crucial for the control of the release of Smac/DIABLO from mitochondria in breast cancer MCF-7 stimulated to apoptosis with CPT.