Distinct Nrf1/2-independent mechanisms mediate As3+-induced glutamate-cysteine ligase subunit gene expression in murine hepatocytes

Trivalent arsenite (As3+) is a known human carcinogen that is also capable of inducing apoptotic cell death. Increased production of reactive oxygen species is thought to contribute to both the carcinogenic and the cytotoxic effects of As3+. Glutathione (GSH) constitutes a vital cellular defense mechanism against oxidative stress. The rate-limiting enzyme in GSH biosynthesis is glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL), a heterodimeric holoenzyme composed of a catalytic (GCLC) and a modifier (GCLM) subunit. In this study, we demonstrate that As3+ coordinately upregulates Gclc and Gclm mRNA levels in a murine hepatocyte cell line resulting in increased GCL subunit protein expression, holoenzyme formation, and activity. As3+ increased the rate of transcription of both the Gclm and the Gclc genes and induced the posttranscriptional stabilization of Gclm mRNA. The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine abolished As3+-induced Gclc expression and attenuated induction of Gclm. As3+ induction of Gclc and Gclm was also differentially regulated by the MAPK signaling pathways and occurred independent of the Nrf1/2 transcription factors. These findings demonstrate that distinct transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms mediate the coordinate induction of the Gclc and Gclm subunits of GCL in response to As3+ and highlight the potential importance of the GSH antioxidant defense system in regulating As3+-induced responses in hepatocytes.