AIF and cyclophilin A cooperate in apoptosis-associated chromatinolysis

Cyclophilin A (CypA) was determined to interact with apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) by mass spectroscopy, coimmunoprecipitation, pull-down assays, and molecular modeling. During the initial, caspase-independent stage of chromatin condensation that accompanies apoptosis, AIF and CypA were found to coimmunolocalize in the nucleus. Recombinant AIF and CypA proteins synergized in vitro in the degradation of plasmid DNA, as well as in the capacity to induce DNA loss in purified nuclei. The apoptogenic cooperation between AIF and CypA did not rely on the CypA peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase activity. In Cyp-expressing cells, AIF overexpression augmented apoptotic chromatinolysis. The AIF-dependent large-scale DNA fragmentation was less pronounced in CypA knockout cells as compared to controls. AIF mutants lacking the CypA-binding domain were inefficient apoptosis sensitizers in transfection experiments. Moreover, AIF failed to sensitize CypA knockout cells to apoptosis induction, and this defect in the AIF response was reversed by reintroduction of the CypA gene into CypA-deficient cells. In summary, AIF and CypA collaborate in chromatinolysis.