Impact of Enniatin B and Beauvericin on Lysosomal Cathepsin B Secretion and Apoptosis Induction

Enniatin B (ENN B) and Beauvericin (BEA) are cyclohexadepsipeptides that can be isolated from and , respectively. Both compounds are cytotoxic and ionophoric. In the present study, the mechanism of cell death induced by these compounds was investigated. Epidermal carcinoma-derived cell line KB-3-1 cells were treated with different concentrations of these compounds. The extracellular secretion of cathepsin B increased in a concentration-dependent manner, and the lysosomal staining by lysotracker red was reduced upon the treatment with any of the compounds. However, the extracellular secretion of cathepsin L and cathepsin D were not affected. Inhibition of cathepsin B with specific inhibitor CA074 significantly reduced the cytotoxic effect of both compounds, while inhibition of cathepsin D or cathepsin L did not influence the cytotoxic activities of both compounds. In vitro labelling of lysosomal cysteine cathepsins with Ethyl (2S, 3S)-epoxysuccinate-Leu-Tyr-Acp-Lys (Biotin)-NH2 (DCG04) was not affected in case of cathepsin L upon the treatment with both compounds, while it was significantly reduced in case of cathepsin B. In conclusion, ENN B and BEA increase lysosomal Ph, which inhibits delivery of cathepsin B from Golgi to lysosomes, thereby inducing cathepsin B release in cytosol, which activates caspases and hence the apoptotic pathway.