Human Bcl-2 expression delays ultraviolet-induced apoptosis in marsupial cells.

We have introduced the human bcl-2 gene under the control of the human metallothionein MTIIA promoter into the rat kangaroo PtK2 cell line. Two independent clones were obtained in which the levels of Bcl-2 protein expression can be controlled by the addition of metals in the culture medium. These cell lines were employed to investigate the effects of this protein in UV-induced apoptosis. Overexpression of Bcl-2 in PtK2 cells resulted in a delay in the appearance of apoptosis markers, such as chromatin condensation and internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. However, colony survival after UV was not affected, suggesting that Bcl-2 did not impose a definitive block for cell death. The elimination of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers through photoreactivation 24 h after irradiation in cells overexpressing Bcl-2 did not affect apoptosis. This indicates that irreversible events in the signaling pathway of apoptosis occur in the period between irradiation and photoreactivation even in the presence of high levels of Bcl-2 protein can delay the onset of UV-induced apoptosis in these marsupial cells, early events triggered by the pyrimidine dimers, upstream from the Bcl-2 action, lead the cell to a state committed to die.