RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Bryostatin 1 Induces Prolonged Activation of Extracellular Regulated Protein Kinases in and Apoptosis of LNCaP Human Prostate Cancer Cells Overexpressing Protein Kinase Cα JF Molecular Pharmacology JO Mol Pharmacol FD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics SP 1224 OP 1234 VO 57 IS 6 A1 Gschwend, Jürgen E. A1 Fair, William R. A1 Powell, C. Thomas YR 2000 UL http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/57/6/1224.abstract AB Previously, we reported that 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced apoptosis of LNCaP human prostate cancer cells was accompanied by prolonged translocation of protein kinase C (PKC)α to non-nuclear membranes and that TPA-resistant LNCaP cells had down-regulated PKCα. Here we show that 10 nM bryostatin 1 induced transient membrane translocation and down-regulation of PKCα, prolonged translocation of PKCδ and ε to non-nuclear membranes, and did not induce cell death but blocked TPA-induced apoptosis. To test the hypothesis that inhibition of TPA-induced apoptosis by bryostatin 1 was due to down-regulation of PKCα, we inducibly overexpressed PKCα in LNCaP cells. Overexpression of PKCα alone did not induce apoptosis, even in clones that contained much more membrane-bound, active PKCα than was observed in TPA-treated untransfected LNCaP cells. However, the addition of 10 nM bryostatin 1 to PKCα-overexpressing LNCaP cells did not yield down-regulation of PKCα and induced extensive apoptosis. Immunoblot analysis revealed that TPA induced prolonged hyperphosphorylation of Raf-1 and activation of extracellular-regulated/mitogen-activated protein kinases 1 and 2 in untransfected LNCaP cells, as did bryostatin 1 in PKCα-overexpressing cells. On the other hand, bryostatin 1 induced only transient hyperphosphorylation of Raf-1 and activation of extracellular-regulated/mitogen-activated protein kinases 1 and 2 in untransfected LNCaP cells. These results confirm a role of prolonged membrane-associated PKCα in PKC activator-mediated LNCaP apoptosis and suggest involvement of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics