Function of caspases in regulating apoptosis caused by erythropoietin deprivation in erythroid progenitors

Erythropoietin (EP) is required by late stage erythroid progenitor cells to prevent apoptosis. In a previous study (Gregoli and Bondurant, 1997, Blood 90:630–640), it was shown that rapid proteolytic conversion of procaspase 3 to the fully activated enzyme occurred when erythroblasts were deprived of EP for as little as 2 h. In the present study, protein and mRNA analyses of erythroblasts indicated the presence of the proenzyme precursors of caspases 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. The effects of various caspase inhibitors on caspase 3 processing and on apoptosis were examined. These inhibitors were benzyloxycarbonyl (z‐) and fluoromethylketone (FMK) derivatives of peptides that serve as substrates for selected caspases. z‐VAD‐FMK, t‐butoxycarbonyl‐aspartate‐FMK (Boc‐D‐FMK), and z‐IETD‐FMK blocked the initial cleavage of procaspase 3, while z‐DEVD‐FMK, z‐VEID‐FMK, and z‐VDVAD‐FMK did not block the initial cleavage but had some effect on blocking apoptosis. The peptide inhibitor z‐FA‐FMK, which inhibits cathepsins B and L but is not known to inhibit caspases, altered caspase 3 processing to a final 19 kDa large subunit that appeared to retain enzymatic activity. The action of z‐FA‐FMK in preventing the usual conversion to a 17 kDa subunit suggests the possibility that a noncaspase protease may be involved in caspase 3 processing. Studies with the peptide inhibitors and EP were done to determine the short‐ and long‐term effectiveness of the caspase inhibitors in protecting EP‐deprived cells from apoptosis. Although several of the inhibitors were effective, z‐IETD‐FMK was studied most extensively because of its specificity for enzymes which cleave procaspase 3 at aspartate 175 (IETD 175 ). Large percentages of EP‐deprived erythroblasts treated with z‐IETD‐ FMK appeared morphologically normal and negative by a DNA strand breakage (TUNEL) assay at 24 h (75%) compared to EP‐deprived controls (10%) which were not treated with inhibitor. However, inhibitor‐treated erythroid progenitors deprived of EP for 24 h and then resupplied with EP showed only a modest improvement in long‐term survival compared to cells which did not receive the caspase inhibitor during the 24 h EP deprivation. Thus, while the manifestations of apoptosis were delayed in most cells by inhibiting caspase activity, the processes initiating the loss of cell viability due to EP deprivation were irreparablein the majority of the cells and eventually led to their deaths. J Cell Physiol 178:133–143, 1999. Published 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.