Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.3.1.108 (TAT)
 2,389 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The risk of terrorist attacks utilizing either nuclear or radiological weapons has raised concerns about the current lack of effective radioprotectants. Here it is demonstrated that the BH4 peptide domain of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-xL can be delivered to cells by covalent attachment to the TAT peptide transduction domain (TAT-BH4) and provide protection in vitro and in vivo from radiation-induced apoptotic cell death. Isolated human lymphocytes treated with TAT-BH4 were protected against apoptosis following exposure to 15Gy radiation. In mice exposed to 5Gy radiation, TAT-BH4 treatment protected splenocytes and thymocytes from radiation-induced apoptotic cell death. Most importantly, in vivo radiation protection was observed in mice whether TAT-BH4 treatment was given prior to or after irradiation. Thus, by targeting steps within the apoptosis signaling pathway it is possible to develop post-exposure treatments to protect radio-sensitive tissues.
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PMID:Anti-apoptotic peptides protect against radiation-induced cell death. 1730 50

In acute thromboembolic stroke, neurological damage is due to ischemia-induced apoptotic death of neuronal cells and the surrounding vascular network. Here, we demonstrate that the BH4 domain of the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-x(L), attached to the membrane transport peptide, TAT, reduces stroke injury after intracerebroventricular infusion into immature rats subjected to carotid artery ligation and additional exposure to hypoxia. The injected TAT-BH4 entered neuron bodies, maintained brain architecture, protected neuronal and endothelial cells from apoptosis and promoted neuronal stem cell recruitment. In vitro, TAT-BH4 enhanced the survival of endothelial cells exposed to H(2)O(2), increased neuronal differentiation, and induced axonal remodelling of adult neuronal stem cells. These findings indicate that TAT-BH4 administration protects against acute hypoxia/ischemia injury in the brain by preventing endothelial and neuron cell apoptosis and by inducing neuronal plasticity.
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PMID:Prevention of ischemic brain injury by treatment with the membrane penetrating apoptosis inhibitor, TAT-BH4. 1930 42

Collective evidence indicates that motor neuron degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is non-cell-autonomous and requires the interaction with the neighboring astrocytes. Recently, we reported that a subpopulation of spinal cord astrocytes degenerates in the microenvironment of motor neurons in the hSOD1(G93A) mouse model of ALS. Mechanistic studies in vitro identified a role for the excitatory amino acid glutamate in the gliodegenerative process via the activation of its inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP(3))-generating metabotropic receptor 5 (mGluR5). Since non-physiological formation of IP(3) can prompt IP(3) receptor (IP(3)R)-mediated Ca(2+) release from the intracellular stores and trigger various forms of cell death, here we investigated the intracellular Ca(2+) signaling that occurs downstream of mGluR5 in hSOD1(G93A)-expressing astrocytes. Contrary to wild-type cells, stimulation of mGluR5 causes aberrant and persistent elevations of intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations ([Ca(2+)](i)) in the absence of spontaneous oscillations. The interaction of IP(3)Rs with the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-X(L) was previously described to prevent cell death by modulating intracellular Ca(2+) signals. In mutant SOD1-expressing astrocytes, we found that the sole BH4 domain of Bcl-X(L), fused to the protein transduction domain of the HIV-1 TAT protein (TAT-BH4), is sufficient to restore sustained Ca(2+) oscillations and cell death resistance. Furthermore, chronic treatment of hSOD1(G93A) mice with the TAT-BH4 peptide reduces focal degeneration of astrocytes, slightly delays the onset of the disease and improves both motor performance and animal lifespan. Our results point at TAT-BH4 as a novel glioprotective agent with a therapeutic potential for ALS.
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PMID:The BH4 domain of Bcl-X(L) rescues astrocyte degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by modulating intracellular calcium signals. 2207 91

One of the objectives in the development of effective cancer therapy is induction of tumor-selective cell death. Toward this end, we have identified a small peptide that, when introduced into cells via a TAT cell-delivery system, shows a remarkably potent cytoxicity in a variety of cancer cell lines and inhibits tumor growth in vivo, whereas sparing normal cells and tissues. This fusion peptide was named killerFLIP as its sequence was derived from the C-terminal domain of c-FLIP, an anti-apoptotic protein. Using structure activity analysis, we determined the minimal bioactive core of killerFLIP, namely killerFLIP-E. Structural analysis of cells using electron microscopy demonstrated that killerFLIP-E triggers cell death accompanied by rapid (within minutes) plasma membrane permeabilization. Studies of the structure of the active core of killerFLIP (-E) indicated that it possesses amphiphilic properties and self-assembles into micellar structures in aqueous solution. The biochemical properties of killerFLIP are comparable to those of cationic lytic peptides, which participate in defense against pathogens and have also demonstrated anticancer properties. We show that the pro-cell death effects of killerFLIP are independent of its sequence similarity with c-FLIPL as killerFLIP-induced cell death was largely apoptosis and necroptosis independent. A killerFLIP-E variant containing a scrambled c-FLIPL motif indeed induced similar cell death, suggesting the importance of the c-FLIPL residues but not of their sequence. Thus, we report the discovery of a promising synthetic peptide with novel anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo.
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PMID:killerFLIP: a novel lytic peptide specifically inducing cancer cell death. 2417 52