Cytokine response modifier A (CrmA) inhibits ceramide formation in response to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha: CrmA and Bcl-2 target distinct components in the apoptotic pathway.

Proteases are now firmly established as major regulators of the "execution" phase of apoptosis. Here, we examine the role of proteases and their relationship to ceramide, a proposed mediator of apoptosis, in the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced pathway of cell death. Ceramide induced activation of prICE, the protease that cleaves the death substrate poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Bcl-2 inhibited ceramide-induced death, but not ceramide generation. In contrast, Cytokine response modifier A (CrmA), a potent inhibitor of Interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme and related proteases, inhibited ceramide generation and prevented TNF-alpha-induced death. Exogenous ceramide could overcome the CrmA block to cell death, but not the Bcl-2 block. CrmA, however, did not inhibit the activation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B by TNF-alpha, demonstrating that other signaling functions of TNF-alpha remain intact and that ceramide does not play a role in the activation of NF-kappa B. These studies support a distinct role for proteases in the signaling/activation phase of apoptosis acting upstream of ceramide formation.