Tacrolimus-Induced Apoptosis is Mediated by Endoplasmic Reticulum–derived Calcium-dependent Caspases-3,-12 in Jurkat Cells

Abstract Apoptotic signal pathways are delivered to caspase-3, caspase-9, or both in different cells via the death receptor pathway, mitochondrial pathway, or by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) pathway through initiators of caspase-3, -8, -9, or -12. Tacrolimus (Tac)–induced apoptosis was characterized by nuclear fragmentation and caspase-3 activation. We examined the effect of tacrolimus on ER-derived calcium and caspase-3,-12–mediated apoptosis on Jurkat human T lymphocyte. Tac decreased the viability of Jurkat cells in a dose-dependent manner. Tac also increased continuously intracellular concentration of calcium from 24 hours to 72 hours. We did not find intracellular calcium changes on the treatment of calcium ionorpore (A23187) regardless of 1 nmol/L Tac concentration level. However, calcium adenosine triphosphatase inhibitor (thapsigargin) increased intracellular calcium accumulation and co-treating 1 nmol/L Tac further induced intracellular calcium accumulation. Interestingly, we found that 1 nmol/L Tac treatment induced activation of caspase-12 protease as well as the catalytic activity of caspase-3 but not catalytic activation of caspase-6, -8, and -9 proteases in Jurkat cells. These data advance our understanding of Tac-induced apoptosis is ER-derived calcium and caspases-3,-12– mediated apoptosis in human Jurkat cell line.