Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.10.1 (ERK)
 95,504 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (Apo2L/TRAIL) belongs to the family of programmed cell death-inducing cytokines. Apo2L/TRAIL induces apoptosis in a wide variety of tumor cells. Tumor cells that are resistant to Apo2L/TRAIL-induced apoptosis can be sensitized by chemotherapeutic drugs and other agents via an unknown mechanism. Here we report that PG490 (triptolide), a diterpene triepoxide extracted from the Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii and used in traditional Chinese medicine, sensitizes lung cancer but not normal human bronchial epithelial cells to Apo2L/TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Sensitization was accompanied by caspase-3 and caspase-8 activation, whereas no cleavage of caspase-9 was observed. Determination of cell surface receptors by flow cytometry demonstrated no difference in Apo2L/TRAIL-R1 and -R2 expression, the two receptors with functional death domains, between resistant and sensitized cells. In cells treated with the combination of Apo2L/TRAIL and PG490, we observed activation of ERK2, a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase family. Furthermore, sensitization could be blocked by the ERK inhibitor U0126 but not the p38 inhibitor SB203580, suggesting that activation of ERK2 is required for this effect. In addition, sensitization of lung cancer cells was also seen in ex vivo culture of lung cancer tissue from four patients who underwent surgery. Immunohistochemical staining showed a clear reduction in proliferation cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in tissue treated with Apo2L/TRAIL and PG490. In conclusion, apoptosis induced by the combination of Apo2L/TRAIL and PG490 warrants further evaluation as a potential new strategy for the treatment of lung cancer.
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PMID:PG490-mediated sensitization of lung cancer cells to Apo2L/TRAIL-induced apoptosis requires activation of ERK2. 1293 2

Genetic heterogeneity between individuals confounds the comparison of gene profiling of multiple myeloma (MM) cells versus normal plasma cells (PCs). To overcome this barrier, we compared the gene expression profile of CD138+ MM cells from a patient bone marrow (BM) sample with CD138+ PCs from a genetically identical twin BM sample using microarray profiling. Two hundred and ninety-six genes were up-regulated and 103 genes were down-regulated at least 2-fold in MM cells versus normal twin PCs. Highly expressed genes in MM cells included cell survival pathway genes such as mcl-1, dad-1, caspase 8, and FADD-like apoptosis regulator (FLIP); oncogenes/transcriptional factors such as Jun-D, Xbp-1, calmodulin, Calnexin, and FGFR-3; stress response and ubiquitin/proteasome pathway-related genes and various ribosomal genes reflecting increased metabolic and translational activity. Genes that were down-regulated in MM cells versus healthy twin PCs included RAD51, killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor protein, and apoptotic protease activating factor. Microarray results were further confirmed by Western blot analyses, immunohistochemistry, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), and functional assays of telomerase activity and bone marrow angiogenesis. This molecular profiling provides potential insights into mechanisms of malignant transformation in MM. For example, FGFR3, xbp-1, and both mcl-1 and dad-1 may mediate transformation, differentiation, and survival, respectively, and may have clinical implications. By identifying genes uniquely altered in MM cells compared with normal PCs in an identical genotypic background, the current study provides the framework to identify novel therapeutic targets.
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PMID:Identification of genes modulated in multiple myeloma using genetically identical twin samples. 1296 76

We previously demonstrated that the phytosphingosine-induced apoptosis was accompanied by the concomitant induction of both the caspase-8-mediated and mitochondrial activation-mediated apoptosis pathways. In the present study, we investigated the role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in the activation of these two distinct cell death pathways induced by phytosphingosine in human cancer cells. Phytosphingosine caused strong induction of caspase-8 activity and caspase-independent Bax translocation to the mitochondria. A rapid decrease of phosphorylated ERK1/2 and a marked increase of p38 MAPK phosphorylation were observed within 10 min after phytosphingosine treatment. Activation of ERK1/2 by pretreatment with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or forced expression of ERK1/2 attenuated phytosphingosine-induced caspase-8 activation. However, Bax translocation and caspase-9 activation was unaffected, indicating that down-regulation of the ERK activity is specifically required for the phytosphingosine-induced caspase-8-dependent cell death pathway. On the other hand, treatment with SB203580, a p38 MAPK-specific inhibitor, or expression of a dominant negative form of p38 MAPK suppressed phytosphingosine-induced translocation of the proapoptotic protein, Bax, from the cytosol to mitochondria, cytochrome c release, and subsequent caspase-9 activation but did not affect caspase-8 activation, indicating that activation of p38 MAPK is involved in the mitochondrial activation-mediated cell death pathway. Our results suggest that phytosphingosine can utilize two different MAPK signaling pathways for amplifying the apoptosis cascade, enhancing the understanding of the molecular mechanisms utilized by naturally occurring metabolites to regulate cell death. Molecular dissection of the signaling pathways that activate the apoptotic cell death machinery is critical for both our understanding of cell death events and development of cancer therapeutic agents.
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PMID:Suppression of extracellular signal-related kinase and activation of p38 MAPK are two critical events leading to caspase-8- and mitochondria-mediated cell death in phytosphingosine-treated human cancer cells. 1452 66

Glomerular epithelial cell (GEC) injury and apoptosis may contribute to sclerosis in glomerulonephritis. The present study addresses signals that regulate survival of GEC in culture and in the acute puromycin aminonucleoside nephrosis (PAN) model of GEC injury in vivo. Compared with GEC on plastic substratum, adhesion to collagen increased activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), c-Src, and ERK and facilitated survival (prevented apoptosis). GEC on plastic exhibited increased caspase-8 and -9 activities, increased expression of the proapoptotic protein, Bax, and decreased the antiapoptotic protein, Bcl-XL, compared with collagen. Stable expression of constitutively active mutants of FAK (CD2-FAK) or MEK (R4F-MEK) activated the ERK pathway and supplanted the requirement of collagen for survival. In contrast, expression of a Ras mutant that activates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase but blocks ERK activation or pharmacological inhibition of the ERK pathway decreased survival on collagen. Glomeruli isolated from rats with PAN revealed increased beta1-integrin expression, along with increased activation of FAK, c-Src, and ERK, compared with controls. EGF receptor activation was undetectable in PAN. Therefore, adhesion to collagen, resulting in activation of FAK and the Ras-ERK pathway, supports GEC survival. Analogous signals for GEC survival are activated in PAN.
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PMID:Extracellular matrix regulates glomerular epithelial cell survival and proliferation. 1455 18

Type-2A protein phosphatase (PP2A) is a key regulator in many different cell signaling pathways and an important determinant in tumorigenesis. One of the signaling targets of PP2A is the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK/ERK) cascade. In this study, we wanted to determine whether PP2A could be involved in regulation of death receptor activity through its capacity to regulate MAPK/ERK. To this end, we studied the effects of two different routes of protein phosphatase inhibition on death receptor-mediated apoptosis. We demonstrated that the apoptosis mediated by Fas, TNF-alpha, and TRAIL in U937 cells is suppressed by calyculin A, an inhibitor of type-1 and type-2A protein phosphatases. The inhibition of the protein phosphatase activity was shown to subsequently increase the MAPK activity in these cells, and the level of activation corresponded to the degree of suppression of cytokine-mediated apoptosis. A more physiological inhibitor, the intracellular PP2A inhibitor protein I2(PP2A), protected transfected HeLa cells in a similar way from Fas-mediated apoptosis and induced activation of MAPK in I2(PP2A) transfected cells. A corresponding inhibition could also be obtained by stable transfection with a constitutively active form of the MAPK kinase, MKK1 (also referred to as MEK1). The inhibitor-mediated protection was highly efficient in preventing early stages of apoptosis, as no caspase-8 cleavage occurred in these cells. The observed apoptosis suppression is likely to facilitate the tumor-promoting effect of a range of different type-2A protein phosphatase inhibitors, and could explain the reported tumor association of I2(PP2A).
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PMID:Type-2A protein phosphatase activity is required to maintain death receptor responsiveness. 1457 31

Cellular FLICE (FADD-like interleukin-1-beta-converting enzyme)-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP) inhibits death receptor-induced apoptosis by binding to FADD (Fas-associated death domain protein) and pro-caspase-8. c-FLIP has also been shown to transmit activation signals and to enhance interleukin (IL)-2 production. However, c-FLIP-mediated T cell activation is difficult to detect in most cells. We found that in DO11.10 T cells, c-FLIP expression led to inhibition of IL-2 production, in contrast to the readily detectable c-FLIP-induced activation in Jurkat cells. A direct comparison revealed that distinct signal pathways were regulated by c-FLIP in Jurkat cells and DO11.10 cells. We investigated whether constitutively activated phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) in Jurkat cells stimulated c-FLIP. Inhibition of PI3K in Jurkat cells abrogated a c-FLIP-mediated increase in IL-2 production. In addition, c-FLIP coordinated with active PI3K for ERK activation. Furthermore, introduction of PTEN back into Jurkat cells eliminated the stimulatory effect of c-FLIP on IL-2 production and ERK activation. Our results suggest that priming with PI3K promotes the coupling of c-FLIP to T cell activation.
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PMID:Phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase priming couples c-FLIP to T cell activation. 1457 61

The serine protease granzyme B (GrB; 25 kDa) is capable of inducing apoptosis through both caspase-dependent and caspase-independent mechanisms. We designed a novel vascular-targeting fusion construct designated as GrB/vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)121, which is composed of a non-heparin-binding isoform of VEGF and the proapoptotic pathway enzyme GrB fused via a short, flexible tether (G4S). The chimeric fusion gene was then cloned into a bacterial vector, and the protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by nickel-NTA metal affinity chromatography. Western blotting confirmed incorporation of both VEGF121 and GrB proteins into the construct. GrB/VEGF121 specifically bound (ELISA) to porcine aortic endothelial (PAE)/FLK-1 cells overexpressing the FLK-1/KDR receptor but not to cells overexpressing the FLT-1 receptor. Immunofluoresence studies showed that the GrB moiety of GrB/VEGF121 was delivered efficiently and rapidly into the cytosol of PAE/FLK-1 cells but not into that of PAE/FLT-1 cells after 4 h treatment with GrB/VEGF121. Treatment of cells with GrB/VEGF121 showed that the IC50 was approximately 10 nM against PAE/FLK-1 cells; however, there were no cytotoxic effects observed on PAE/FLT-1 cells at doses up to 200 nM. GrB/VEGF121 induced apoptotic events specifically on PAE/FLK-1 as assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling assay, DNA laddering, and cytochrome c release from mitochondria. In addition, the fusion construct mediated the cleavage of caspase-8, caspase-3, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in target endothelial cells within 4 h after treatment. In conclusion, delivery of the human proapoptotic pathway enzyme GrB to tumor vascular endothelial cells or to tumor cells may have significant therapeutic potential and represents a potent new class of targeted therapeutic agents with a unique mechanism of action.
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PMID:Mechanistic studies of a novel human fusion toxin composed of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)121 and the serine protease granzyme B: directed apoptotic events in vascular endothelial cells. 1457 60

We have previously reported that XK469 inhibited topoisomerase (topo) IIbeta, in Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia cell line (WSU-WM) however the inhibition alone is not sufficient to induce apoptosis. In this study, the apoptotic potential of XK469 and its mechanism in WSU-WM cell line was investigated. Exposure of WSU-WM cells to XK469 caused a decrease in viable cell number in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, XK469 caused the activation of caspase 3 resulting in subsequent cleavage of PARP. These events were preceded by the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria to the cytosol. Simultaneous exposure of cells to cyclosporin A prevented the release of cytochrome c to cytosol and reduced the loss of viability. XK469 caused the activation of p53 with up-regulation of p53-dependent proteins such as Bax, p21, Gadd 45 and cyclin B1 in association with G2M arrest. The addition of ubiquitin carboxyl terminal hydrolase (UCH-L1) inhibitor (NaBH4) inhibited up-regulation of p53 and p53 related molecules by XK469 and reduced the loss of viability. Pre-incubation with NOK-1, a monoclonal antibody that prevents Fas-Fas ligand interaction and is inhibitory to Fas signaling interfered with XK469 induced activation of caspase 8 and also reduced the loss of viability. Simultaneous exposure of all three inhibitors (cyclosporin A, NaBH4 and NOK-1) abrogated the toxicity of XK469 by 95%. These data define multiple sequences of biochemical events that mediate cell death induced by XK469. Our study suggests a complex mechanistic cascade of XK469-mediated apoptosis that involves Fas signaling pathway, ubiquitination, p53 activation and cytochrome c release.
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PMID:XK469, a topo IIbeta inhibitor, induces apoptosis in Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia through multiple pathways. 1461 35

Apoptosis plays an essential role in atherosclerosis. Oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL) and activated T lymphocytes are present in atherosclerotic lesions, and we have previously reported that oxLDL induce apoptosis of activated T lymphocytes. We now show that this is preceded by an increase of Fas and FasL expression. Fas and FasL overexpression was dependent on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production as well as ERK and JNK activation. In addition, oxLDL triggered an early production of soluble FasL by T lymphocytes. Blocking anti-Fas antibody or Fas-Fc protein, but also antioxidant molecules and inhibitors of ERK and JNK, decreased oxLDL-mediated apoptosis. Moreover, PHA-activated murine lymphocytes lacking a functional Fas receptor were partially resistant to oxLDL. Finally, Jurkat T cells deficient for FADD, an adaptor protein required for Fas signaling, resisted oxLDL-induced apoptosis. OxLDL triggered caspase 8 and 3 activation as well as ceramide production in PHA-activated lymphocytes and in Jurkat cells. Caspase activation was completely impaired in FADD-deficient cells, but ceramide production was not affected. Altogether, our results highlight the putative role of both membrane-bound and soluble FasL in oxLDL-induced Fas and FADD-dependent apoptosis of T lymphocytes and suggest an involvement of ROS, ERK, and JNK in this process.
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PMID:Expression of membrane-bound and soluble FasL in Fas- and FADD-dependent T lymphocyte apoptosis induced by mildly oxidized LDL. 1463 Jul 9

Synthetic analogs of 1,4-anthraquinone (AQ code number), a compound that mimics the antiproliferative effects of daunorubicin (daunomycin) in the nanomolar range in vitro but has the advantage of blocking nucleoside transport and retaining its efficacy in multidrug-resistant tumor cells, were tested for their ability to induce apoptosis in the HL-60 cell system. AQ10 and, especially, the new lead antiproliferative compounds AQ8 and AQ9 reduce the growth and integrity of wild-type, drug-sensitive, HL-60-S cells more effectively than AQ1, suggesting that various methyl group substituents at C6 may enhance the bioactivity of the parent compound. Internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, a late marker of apoptosis, is similarly induced in a biphasic manner by increasing concentrations of AQ8 and AQ9 at 24 hr. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) cleavage, an early event required for cells committed to apoptosis, is detected within 3-6 hr in HL-60-S cells treated with AQ9. In accord with the fact that the caspases 9 and 3 cascade is responsible for PARP-1 cleavage, the activities of initiator caspase-9 and effector caspase-3 are induced by AQ9 in the same time- and concentration-dependent manners and to the same maximal degrees in both the HL-60-S and multidrug-resistant HL-60-RV cell lines. Interestingly, a 1-hr pulse treatment is sufficient for AQ8 and AQ9 to maximally induce caspase-9 and -3 activities at 6 hr. The release of mitochondrial cytochrome c (Cyt c) is also detected within 3-6hr in HL-60-S cells treated with AQ9, a finding consistent with the fact that Cyt c is the apoptotic trigger that activates caspase-9. Moreover, AQ analogs induce Cyt c release, caspase-9 and -3 activities and PARP-1 cleavage in relation with their abilities to decrease tumor cell growth and integrity, AQ8 and AQ9 being consistently the most effective. Since apical caspases 2 and 8 may both act upstream of mitochondria to promote Cyt c release, it is significant to show that AQ9 maximally induces caspase-2 and -8 activities at 6 and 9 hr, respectively. During AQ8 treatment, the caspase-2 inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl (z)-Val-Asp-Val-Ala-Asp (VDVAD)-fluoromethyl ketone (fmk) totally blocks caspase-9, -3, and -8 activations, whereas the caspase-8 inhibitor z-Ile-Glu-Thr-Asp-(IETD)-fmk does not prevent caspase-2, -9, and -3 activations, suggesting that AQ-induced caspase-2 activity is an upstream event critical for the activation of the downstream caspases 9 and 3 cascade, including the mitochondrial amplification loop through caspase-8. However, these caspase-2 and -8 inhibitors fail to alter AQ8-induced Cyt c release, suggesting that AQs might also target mitochondria independently from caspase activation. Furthermore, the antagonistic anti-Fas DX2 and ZB4 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), which block the induction of Cyt c release and caspase-2, -8, and -9 activities by the agonistic anti-Fas CH11 mAb, and the neutralizing anti-Fas ligand (FasL) NOK-1 mAb all fail to inhibit AQ9-induced Cyt c release and caspase-2, -8, and -9 activities, suggesting that the FasL/Fas signaling pathway is not involved in the mechanism by which antiproliferative AQ analogs trigger apoptosis in HL-60 cells.
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PMID:Synthetic 1,4-anthracenedione analogs induce cytochrome c release, caspase-9, -3, and -8 activities, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 cleavage and internucleosomal DNA fragmentation in HL-60 cells by a mechanism which involves caspase-2 activation but not Fas signaling. 1503 4


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