Negatively-regulated necroptosis by autophagy required caspase-6 activation in TNFα-treated murine fibrosarcoma L929 cells

•zVAD exacerbated TNFα-induced RIP1-dependent autophagy and necroptosis.•Autophagy negatively regulated necroptosis in TNFα-treated L929 cells.•TNFα induced RIP1-independent caspase-6 activation.•Negatively-regulated necroptosis by autophagy required caspase-6 activation.

Autophagy and necroptosis have been known to be interconnected, while the relationship between autophagy and necroptosis remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated that pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk (zVAD) exacerbated TNFα-induced necroptosis and autophagy in murine fibrosarcoma L929 cells. And the RIP-1 inhibitor necrostatin-1 inhibited TNFα + zVAD-induced necroptosis and autophagy. Inhibition of autophagy by 3-methyladenine (3MA) or small interfering RNA (siRNA) against Beclin 1 augmented TNFα-induced necroptosis, while, autophagy inhibition did not influence TNFα + zVAD-induced necroptosis. These results suggested that autophagy was a downstream consequence of necroptosis, and had a negative-feedback function to necroptosis in TNFα-treated L929 cells, but not in the presence of zVAD. Subsequently, TNFα administration was accompanied with caspase-6 activation. Inhibition of caspase-6 activity by z-V-E(OMe)-I-D(OMe)-fmk (zVEID) or caspase-6 (p20) siRNA had no effect on necroptosis but promoted TNFα-induced autophagy. Meanwhile, autophagy inhibition further increased caspase-6 activation. Caspase-6 (p20) siRNA sequestered the increased necroptotic ratio by 3MA pretreatment in TNFα-treated L929 cells. In addition, caspase-6 activation induced by TNFα administration was inhibited by zVAD. Further, autophagy induced by higher concentration of zVAD did not negatively regulate necroptosis because caspase-6 was not activated. Collectively, our data indicated that autophagy was a downstream consequence of necroptosis, and negatively regulated necroptosis when caspase-6 was activated in TNFα-treated L929 cells.