Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:1.9.3.1 (cytochrome oxidase)
 8,822 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Glial cells in the nervous system can produce nitric oxide in response to cytokines. This production is mediated by the inducible isoform of nitric oxide synthase. Radical oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) derivatives have been claimed to play a crucial role in many different processes, both physiological such as neuromodulation, synaptic plasticity, response to glutamate, and pathological such as ischemia and various neurodegenerative disorders. In the present study we investigated the effects of NO synthase (iNOS) induction in astrocyte cultures on the synthesis of heat shock proteins, the activity of respiratory chain complexes and the oxidant/antioxidant balance. Treatment of astrocyte cultures for 18 hr with LPS and INFgamma produced a dose dependent increase of iNOS associated with an increased synthesis of hsp70 stress proteins. This effect was abolished by the NO synthase inhibitor L-NMMA and significantly decreased by addition of SOD/CAT in the medium. Time course experiments showed that iNOS induced protein expression increased significantly by 2 hr after treatment with LPS and INFgamma and reached a plateau at 18 hr; hsp70 protein synthesis peaked around 18 and 36 hr after the same treatment. Addition to astrocytes of the NO donor sodium nitroprusside resulted in a dose dependent increase in hsp70 protein that was comparable to that found after a mild heat shock. Additionally, a decrease in cytochrome oxidase activity, a marked decrease in ATP and protein sulfhydryl contents, an increase in the activity of the antioxidant enzymes mt-SOD and catalase were found which were abolished by L-NMMA. These findings suggest the importance of mitochondrial energy impairment as a critical determinant of the susceptibility of astrocytes to neurotoxic processes and point to a possible pivotal role of hsp70 in the signalling pathways of stress tolerance.
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PMID:Nitric oxide synthase induction in astroglial cell cultures: effect on heat shock protein 70 synthesis and oxidant/antioxidant balance. 1082 Apr 32

It was reported that cadmium is able to exert a cytotoxic effect on tumor MDA-MB231 cells, which shows signs of "non-classical" apoptosis and is characterized by drastic changes in gene expression pattern. In this study, we have extended our knowledge of metal-breast cancer cell interactions by analyzing some mitochondria-related aspects of the stress response to CdCl(2) at either 5 or 50 microM 24- or 96-h exposure, by cytochemical, conventional PCR and Northern/Western blot techniques. We demonstrated that (i) no modification of the mitochondrial mass was detectable due to CdCl(2) exposure; (ii) the respiration activity appeared to be increased after 96-h exposures, while the production of reactive oxygen species was significantly induced, as well; (iii) hsp60, hsp70, COXII and COXIV expressions were dependent on the duration of Cd exposure; (iv) a different hsp60 protein distribution was observed in mitochondrial and post-mitochondrial extracts and (v) 96-h exposure induced the over-expression of hsc/hsp70 proteins and, conversely, the down-regulation of cytochrome oxidase subunits II and IV. These observations, in addition to providing more information on the cellular and molecular aspects of the interaction between CdCl(2) and MDA-MB231 breast tumor cells, contribute to the comprehension of the intracellular molecular mechanisms implicated in the regulation of some mitochondrial proteins.
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PMID:Effects of cadmium chloride on some mitochondria-related activity and gene expression of human MDA-MB231 breast tumor cells. 1853 82