Achacin induces cell death in HeLa cells through two different mechanisms

Achacin, which belongs to the l-amino acid oxidase group, oxidizes free amino acids and produces hydrogen peroxide in cell culture systems. Morphological changes in cells incubated with achacin were similar to those of cells incubated with H2O2. In both cases, the end result was cell death. To examine the mechanism of achacin-associated cytotoxicity, the H2O2 scavenger catalase was added to culture media. Features typical of apoptosis, including morphological changes, DNA fragmentation, and PARP cleavage, were observed when cells were incubated with achacin in the presence of catalase. Moreover, apoptosis was inhibited by Z–VAD–fmk, a broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor. Herein, we present evidence that two pathways are involved in achacin-induced cell death. One is direct generation of H2O2 through the l-amino acid oxidase activity of achacin. The other is the caspase-mediated apoptotic pathway that is induced by depletion of l-amino acids by achacin.