Acquired Resistance to Shiga Toxin-Induced Apoptosis by Loss of CD77 Expression in Human Myelogenous Leukemia Cell Line, THP-1

Abstract

Shiga toxin (Stx) is a main virulence factor of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) that causes diarrhea and hemorrhagic colitis and occasionally fatal systemic complications. Stx induces rapid apoptotic cell death in some cells, such as human myelogenous leukemia THP-1 cells expressing CD77, a receptor for Stx internalization, and the induction of apoptotic cell death is thought to be crucial for the fatal systemic complications. Therefore, in order to suppress the fatal toxicity, it is important to understand the mechanism how cells can escape from apoptotic cell death in the presence of Stx. In this study, we isolated resistant clones to Stx-induced apoptosis from highly sensitive THP-1 cells by continuous exposure with lethal dose of Stx. All of the ten resistant clones lost the expression of CD77 as a consequence of the reduction in CD77 synthase mRNA expression. These results suggest that downregulation of CD77 or CD77 synthase expression could be a novel approach to suppress the fatal toxicity of Stx in EHEC infected patient.

Graphical Abstract