Accumulation of Phosphorylated β-Catenin Enhances ROS-Induced Cell Death in Presenilin-Deficient Cells

Presenilin (PS) is involved in many cellular events under physiological and pathological conditions. Previous reports have revealed that PS deficiency results in hyperproliferation and resistance to apoptotic cell death. In the present study, we investigated the effects of PS on beta-catenin and cell mortality during serum deprivation. Under these conditions, PS1/PS2 double-knockout MEFs showed aberrant accumulation of phospho-beta-catenin, higher ROS generation, and notable cell death. Inhibition of beta-catenin phosphorylation by LiCl reversed ROS generation and cell death in PS deficient cells. In addition, the K19/49R mutant form of beta-catenin, which undergoes normal phosphorylation but not ubiquitination, induced cytotoxicity, while the phosphorylation deficient S37A beta-catenin mutant failed to induce cytotoxicity. These results indicate that aberrant accumulation of phospho-beta-catenin underlies ROS-mediated cell death in the absence of PS. We propose that the regulation of beta-catenin is useful for identifying therapeutic targets of hyperproliferative diseases and other degenerative conditions.