Mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ(mt)) in the coordination of p53- independent proliferation and apoptosis pathways in human colonic carcinoma cells

We have previously defined depressed mitochondrial function as a determinant in colon cancer risk and progression and established that metabolism of butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid generated during the fermentation of fiber by endogenous intestinal bacteria, induces mitochondrial function-dependent growth arrest and apoptosis of colonic carcinoma cells in vitro. Here, we dissect the relationships among mitochondrial function, growth arrest, and apoptosis, reporting that initiation and maintenance of butyrate-mediated p53-independent p21(WAF1/Cip1) induction and subsequent G₀/G₁ arrest require an intact mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ(mt)) and that the process of dissipation of the ΔΨ(mt) is then essential for initiation of a butyrate- induced apoptotic cascade. Thus, we hypothesize that mitochondria play a pivotal role in coordinating proliferation and apoptosis pathways, a coordination that must be tightly regulated in rapidly renewing tissues, such as the colonic mucosa.