High molecular weight fibroblast growth factor 2 induces apoptosis by interacting with complement component 1 Q subcomponent-binding protein in vitro

Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) is a multifunctional cell growth factor that regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, migration, and apoptosis. FGF2 has multiple isoforms, including an 18-kDa low molecular weight isoform (lo-FGF2) and 22-, 23-, 24-, and 34-kDa high molecular weight isoforms (hi-FGF2). Hi-FGF2 overexpression induces chromatin compaction, which requires the mitochondria and leads to apoptosis. Complement component 1 Q subcomponent-binding protein (C1QBP) plays an important role in mitochondria-dependent apoptosis by regulating the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore. However, the interaction between C1QBP and hi-FGF2 and its role in hi-FGF2-mediated apoptosis remain unclear. Here, we found that hi-FGF2 overexpression induced depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane, cytochrome c release into the cytosol, and a considerable increase in C1QBP messenger RNA and protein expression. Furthermore, coimmunoprecipitation results showed that the mitochondrial protein, C1QBP, interacts with hi-FGF2. C1QBP knockdown using small interfering RNA significantly decreased the localization of hi-FGF2 to the mitochondria and increased the rate of apoptosis. Our results highlight a novel mechanism underlying hi-FGF2-induced, mitochondria-driven cell death involving the direct interaction between hi-FGF2 and C1QBP and the upregulation of C1QBP expression.