Oxidative, multistep activation of the noncanonical NF-κB pathway via disulfide Bcl-3/p50 complex

Buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) is a well-known inhibitor of glutathione synthesis, producing slow glutathione (GSH) depletion and oxidative stress; some "responder" cells avoid BSO-induced death by trans-activating the prosurvival protein Bcl-2. Here we show that BSO activates a noncanonical, inhibitory NF-κB- and p65-independent NF-κB pathway via a multistep process leading to the up-regulation of Bcl-2. The slow BSO-induced GSH depletion allows separation of two redox-related phases, namely, early thiol disequilibrium and late frank oxidative stress; each phase contributes to the progressive activation of a p50-p50 homodimer. The early phase, coinciding with substantial thiol depletion, produces a cytosolic preparative complex, consisting of p50 and its interactor Bcl-3 linked by interprotein disulfide bridges. The late phase, coinciding with reactive oxygen species production, is responsible, probably via p38 activation, for nuclear targeting of the complex and trans-activation of Bcl-2.