Mitochondrial function is required for hydrogen peroxide-induced growth factor receptor transactivation and downstream signaling

The transactivation of growth factor receptors is an early event in H2O2-induced signaling, although proximal targets in this process remain unclear. We found that inhibition of flavin- or heme-containing proteins eliminated H2O2-induced transactivation of the epidermal growth factor receptor and stimulation of its downstream targets, JNK and Akt. Inhibition of mitochondrial function with rotenone, antimycin A, KCN, carbonylcyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone, or oligomycin reproduced this effect, as did generation of mitochondrial DNA-deficient (pseudo-rho(0)) cells. Mitochondrial function had no role in JNK activation in response to UV irradiation or tumor necrosis factor-alpha. The impact of mitochondrial function on H2O2-induced growth factor transactivation was ubiquitous and applied to both the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-2 receptor and the platelet-derived growth factor-beta receptor in endothelium and fibroblasts, respectively. In contrast, ligand-induced growth factor activation was unrelated to mitochondrial function. Growth factor receptor transactivation and its downstream signaling in response to H2O2 appeared to involve redox-sensitive mitochondrial events as they were abrogated by a mitochondrial-targeted antioxidants but not their nontargeted counterparts. Functionally, we found that mitochondrial-targeted antioxidants inhibited H2O2-induced apoptosis and cell death but had no effect with UV irradiation. These data establish a novel role for the mitochondrion as a proximal target specific to H2O2-induced signaling and growth factor transactivation.