Phosphorylation and inactivation of myeloid cell leukemia 1 by JNK in response to oxidative stress.

Abstract Oxidative stress induces JNK activation, which leads to apoptosis through mitochondria-dependent caspase activation. However, little is known about the mechanism by which JNK alters mitochondrial function. In this study, we investigated the role of phosphorylation of myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1), an anti-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family, in oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. We found that JNK phosphorylated Ser-121 and Thr-163 of Mcl-1 in response to stimulation with H2O2 and that transfection of unphosphorylatable Mcl-1 resulted in an enhanced anti-apoptotic activity in response to stimulation with H2O2. JNK-dependent phosphorylation and thus inactivation of Mcl-1 may be one of the mechanisms through which oxidative stress induces cellular damage.