Role of ATP5G3 in sodium nitroprusside-induced cell death in cervical carcinoma cells

We identified a gene, subunit C3 (ATP5G3) of mitochondrial ATP synthase, that displayed changes in gene expression under oxidative stress. We examined the role of ATP5G3 and its molecular mechanisms in sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced cell death using ATP5G3 small interfering RNA (siATP5G3)-transfected HeLa cells. A significant increase in cytotoxicity was observed in the transfected cells treated with SNP, which suggests a protective role of ATP5G3 in SNP-induced cytotoxicity in the cells. The transfected cells treated with photodegraded SNP showed equal cytotoxicity to SNP, and pretreatment with deferoxamine (DFO) completely inhibited this cytotoxicity. Further, cytotoxicity was significantly inhibited by pretreatment with a p38 inhibitor and was accentuated by the p38 activator in cells. Pretreatment with the Bcl-xL inhibitor also significantly accentuated cytotoxicity. The increase in p38 phosphorylation was significantly higher in siATP5G3-transfected cells treated with SNP in immunoblotting, which was inhibited by pretreatment with DFO. The increase in cytotoxicity with siATP5G3 transfection was completely blocked by cotransfection with sip38, and the blocking effect disappeared by cotransfection with additional siBcl-xL, which suggests that the protective role of ATP5G3 is mediated by Bcl-xL via the inhibition of p38 activity. Cytotoxicity was completely blocked by the cotransfection of siATP5G3 with siBax. No change in apoptotic parameters was observed during cytotoxicity. However, pretreatment with lysosomal inhibitors significantly inhibited cytotoxicity and increased p62 protein levels. These findings suggest that ATP5G3 plays a protective role in autophagic cell death/lysosome-associated cell death induced by SNP via the sequential signaling of ROS/p38/Bcl-xL/Bax in HeLa cells.