Protein kinase B inhibits apoptosis induced by actinomycin D in ECV304 cells through phosphorylation of caspase 8

Actinomycin D (act-D) anchors itself into DNA-base pairs by intercalation and thereby inhibits mRNA synthesis. It has been well established that act-D elicits apoptosis in various cell types involving endothelial cells. However, the regulatory mechanisms of actinomycin D-induced apoptotic cell death still remain unclear. Here, we investigated apoptotic cell death and its underlying regulatory mechanisms elicited by actinomycin D in ECV304. Act-D induced typical apoptotic features including chromatin condensation and translocation of phosphatidylserine. Since the phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (PKB) signaling pathway has been shown to prevent apoptosis in various cell types, it was of interest to determine if this pathway could protect against apoptosis induced by act-D. Inhibition of PI3K/PKB significantly increased act-D-induced apoptosis. Moreover, act-D-induced cell death was physiologically linked to PKB-mediated cell survival through caspase-8. These results suggest that cross-talk between the PKB and caspase-8 pathways may regulate the balance between cell survival and cell death in ECV304.