Long term metabolic arrest and recovery of HEK293 spheroids involves NF‐κB signaling and sustained JNK activation

Understanding how cells withstand a depletion of intracellular water is relevant to the study of longevity, aging, and quiescence because one consequence of air‐drying is metabolic arrest. After removal of medium, HEK293 spheroids with intracellular water content of ∼65% survived partial vacuum, with antistatic control, for weeks in the dark at 25°C. In contrast, only a limited exposure of monolayers to air was lethal; the mitochondrion being a target of this stress. The pathways activated during the long‐term arrest and recovery of spheroids depended on both NF‐κB signaling and sustained JNK activation. A cyclical cascade, presumably originating from an intercellular stress signal, led to endogenous cytokine production (TNF‐α, IL‐1b, and IL‐8) and propagation of the cellular stress signal through the co‐activation of NF‐κB and JNK. Increased levels of downstream pathway signaling members, specifically Gadd45β, c‐jun, and ATF3 were observed, as was activation of c‐jun (phosphorylation). Activation of these pathways permit cells to survive long‐term storage and recovery because chemical inhibition of both NF‐κB nuclear translocation and JNK phosphorylation led to cell death. The capacity of an immortalized cell to enter, and then exit, a state of long‐term quiescence, without genetic or chemical intervention, has implications for the study of cell transformation. In addition, the ability to monitor the relevant signaling pathways at endogenous levels, from effector to transcriptional regulator, emphasizes the utility of multicellular aggregate models in delineating stress response pathways. J. Cell. Physiol. 206: 526–536, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.