Hepatocyte-specific c-Met deletion disrupts redox homeostasis and sensitizes to Fas-mediated apoptosis

The hepatocyte growth factor and its receptor c-Met direct a pleiotropic signal transduction pathway that controls cell survival. We previously demonstrated that mice lacking c-Met (Met-KO) in hepatocytes were hypersensitive to Fas-induced liver injury. In this study, we used primary hepatocytes isolated from Met-KO and control (Cre-Ctrl) mice to address more directly the protective effects of c-Met signaling. Loss of c-Met function increased sensitivity to Fas-mediated apoptosis. Hepatocyte growth factor suppressed apoptosis in Cre-Ctrl but not Met-KO hepatocytes concurrently with up-regulation of NF-kappa B and major antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Intriguingly, Met-KO hepatocytes exhibited intrinsic activation of NF-kappa B as well as Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Furthermore, unchallenged Met-KO cells displayed oxidative stress as evidenced by overproduction of reactive oxygen species, which was associated with greater NADPH and Rac1 activities, was blocked by the known NADPH oxidase inhibitors, and was paralleled by increased lipid peroxidation and reduced glutathione (GSH) content. N-Acetylcysteine, an antioxidant and GSH precursor, significantly reduced Jo2-induced cell death. Conversely, the GSH-depleting agent buthionine sulfoximine completely abolished the protective effects of N-acetylcysteine in Met-KO hepatocytes. In conclusion, genetic inactivation of c-Met in mouse hepatocytes caused defects in redox regulation, which may account for the increased sensitivity to Fas-induced apoptosis and adaptive up-regulation of NF-kappa B survival signaling. These data provide evidence that intact c-Met signaling is a critical factor in the protection against excessive generation of endogenous reactive oxygen species.