Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.1.30.2 (endonuclease)
18,621 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Caspase-3 initiates apoptotic DNA fragmentation by proteolytically inactivating DFF45 (DNA fragmentation factor-45)/ICAD (inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase), which releases active DFF40/CAD (caspase-activated DNase), the inhibitor's associated endonuclease. Here, we examined whether other apoptotic proteinases initiated DNA fragmentation via DFF45/ICAD inactivation. In a cell-free assay, caspases-3, -6, -7, -8, and granzyme B initiated benzoyloxycarbonyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp (DEVD) cleaving caspase activity, DFF45/ICAD inactivation, and DNA fragmentation, but calpain and cathepsin D failed to initiate these events. Strikingly, only the DEVD cleaving caspases, caspase-3 and caspase-7, inactivated DFF45/ICAD and promoted DNA fragmentation in an in vitro DFF40/CAD assay, suggesting that granzyme B, caspase-6, and caspase-8 promote DFF45/ICAD inactivation and DNA fragmentation indirectly by activating caspase-3 and/or caspase-7. In vitro, however, caspase-3 inactivated DFF45/ICAD and promoted DNA fragmentation more effectively than caspase-7 and endogenous levels of caspase-7 failed to inactivate DFF45/ICAD in caspase-3 null MCF7 cells and extracts. Together, these data suggest that caspase-3 is the primary inactivator of DFF45/ICAD and therefore the primary activator of apoptotic DNA fragmentation.
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PMID:Caspase-3 is the primary activator of apoptotic DNA fragmentation via DNA fragmentation factor-45/inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase inactivation. 1052 51

Histone H2AX is a ubiquitous member of the H2A histone family that differs from the other H2A histones by the presence of an evolutionarily conserved C-terminal motif, -KKATQASQEY. The serine residue in this motif becomes rapidly phosphorylated in cells and animals when DNA double-stranded breaks are introduced into their chromatin by various physical and chemical means. In the present communication we show that this phosphorylated form of H2AX, referred to as gamma-H2AX, appears during apoptosis concurrently with the initial appearance of high molecular weight DNA fragments. gamma-H2AX forms before the appearance of internucleosomal DNA fragments and the externalization of phosphatidylserine to the outer membrane leaflet. gamma-H2AX formation is inhibited by N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone and the inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase, and it is induced when DNase I and restriction enzymes are introduced into cells, suggesting that any apoptotic endonuclease is sufficient to induce gamma-H2AX formation. These results indicate that gamma-H2AX formation is an early chromatin modification following initiation of DNA fragmentation during apoptosis.
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PMID:Initiation of DNA fragmentation during apoptosis induces phosphorylation of H2AX histone at serine 139. 1073 83

To study the pathophysiological roles of overexpressed caspase-1 (CASP1), originally designated as IL-1 beta-converting enzyme, we generated transgenic mice in which human CASP1 is overexpressed in their keratinocytes. The transgenic mice spontaneously developed recalcitrant dermatitis and skin ulcers, characterized by the presence of massive keratinocyte apoptosis. The skin of the mice contained the active form of human CASP1 and expressed mRNA for caspase-activated DNase, an effector endonuclease responsible for DNA fragmentation. Their skin and sera showed elevated levels of mature IL-18 and IL-1 beta, but not of IFN-gamma. The plasma from these animals induced IFN-gamma production by IL-18-responsive NK cells. Administration of heat-killed Propionibacterium acnes, a potent in vivo type 1 cell inducer, caused IFN-gamma-mediated lethal liver injury in the transgenic mice, which was completely inhibited by treatment with neutralizing anti-IL-18 Ab. These results indicated that in vivo overexpression of CASP1 caused spontaneous apoptotic tissue injury and rendered mice highly susceptible to exogenous type 1 cell-inducing condition in collaboration with endogenously accumulated proinflammatory cytokines.
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PMID:Skin-specific caspase-1-transgenic mice show cutaneous apoptosis and pre-endotoxin shock condition with a high serum level of IL-18. 1087 76

Caspase-activated DNase is responsible for the oligonucleosomal DNA degradation during apoptosis. DNA degradation is thought to be important for multicellular organisms to prevent oncogenic transformation or as a mechanism of viral defense. It has been reported that certain cells, including some neuroblastoma cell lines such as IMR-5, enter apoptosis without digesting DNA in such a way. We have analyzed the causes for the absence of DNA laddering in staurosporine-treated IMR-5 cells, and we have found that most of the molecular mechanisms controlling apoptosis are well preserved in this cell line. These include degradation of substrates for caspases, blockade of cell death by antiapoptotic genes such as Bcl-2 or Bcl-X(L), or normal levels and adequate activation of caspase-3. Moreover, these cells display normal levels of caspase-activated DNase and its inhibitory protein, inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase, and their cDNA sequences are identical to those reported previously. Nevertheless, IMR-5 cells lose caspase-activated DNase during apoptosis and recover their ability to degrade DNA when human recombinant caspase-activated DNase is overexpressed. Our results lead to the conclusion that caspase-activated DNase is processed during apoptosis of IMR-5 cells, making these cells a good model to study the relevance of this endonuclease in physiological or pathological conditions.
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PMID:The absence of oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation during apoptosis of IMR-5 neuroblastoma cells: disappearance of the caspase-activated DNase. 1129 34

Apoptosis is the mode of cell death in retinitis pigmentosa, a group of retinal degenerative disorders primarily affecting rod photoreceptors. Although caspases have been demonstrated to play a central role in many incidences of apoptosis, accumulating evidence suggests that they may not be required for all forms of apoptotic cell death. The present study examined the mechanism of cell death in two in vivo models of photoreceptor apoptosis: the retinal degeneration (rd) mouse, a naturally occurring mutant model, and N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced retinal degeneration. Specifically, we examined the activation status of caspase-9, -8, -7, -3, and -2 and determined the caspase requirements for cytochrome c release, DNA fragmentation, and apoptosis-associated proteolysis of specific caspase substrates. We show that apoptosis in both in vivo models is independent of caspase-9, -8, -7, -3, and -2 activation. DNA fragmentation occurs in the absence of caspase-mediated ICAD (inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase) proteolysis, suggesting that an alternative endonuclease is responsible for DNA cleavage in these models. Importantly, we show that apoptosome activation is prevented because of an absence of mitochondrial cytochrome c release. Experiments performed using a cell-free system indicate that cytochrome c-dependent proteolysis and activation of caspase-9 can be restored in a neonatal cell-free system. However, we found that cytochrome c-dependent proteolysis and activation of caspase-9 could not be restored in an adult cell-free system because of an age-related decrease in the expression of Apaf-1 in the normal developing mouse retina. In the rd mouse, however, this age-related downregulation of apoptotic proteins was not observed, highlighting a critical feature of this model and the prevention of cytochrome c release as an apical event in caspase-independent apoptosis in this system.
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PMID:Caspase-independent photoreceptor apoptosis in mouse models of retinal degeneration. 1284 76

Internucleosomal DNA fragmentation is an apoptotic event that depends on the activity of different nucleases. Among them, the DNA fragmentation factor B, better known as caspase-activated DNase (CAD), is mainly responsible for this DNA fragmentation in dying cells. CAD is an endonuclease that is chaperoned and inhibited by inhibitor of CAD (ICAD). Activation of CAD needs the cleavage of ICAD by activated caspase-3. During the characterization of the staurosporine-induced apoptotic process in human neuroblastoma cell lines, we have found three novel splice variants of CAD. In all three messengers, the open reading frame is truncated after the second exon of the CAD gene. This truncated open reading frame codifies the CAD protein amino terminal part corresponding to the cell death-inducing DFF45-like effector-N (CIDE-N) domain. We have detected these splicing variants in human tissues and in peripheral white blood cells from 10 unrelated individuals, and their products have been showed to be expressed in certain mouse tissues. We demonstrate that these truncated forms of CAD are soluble proteins that interact with ICAD. We also provided evidences that these CIDE-N forms of CAD promote apoptosis in a caspase-dependent manner.
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PMID:Characterization of splice variants of human caspase-activated DNase with CIDE-N structure and function. 1514 1

The internucleosomal cleavage of genomic DNA is the biochemical hallmark of apoptosis. DNase gamma, a Ca(2+)/Mg(2+)-dependent endonuclease, has been suggested to be one of the apoptotic endonucleases. We identified here 4-(4,6-dichloro-[1,3,5]-triazin-2-ylamino)-2-(6-hydroxy-3-oxo-3H-xanthen-9-yl)-benzoic acid (DR396) as a novel and potent DNase gamma inhibitor using stable HeLa S3 transfectants of DNase gamma (HeLa-gamma cells). DR396 inhibited apoptotic DNA fragmentation in HeLa-gamma cells induced by staurosporine (STS) and in rat splenocytes exposed to gamma-ray irradiation in a dose-dependent manner. This compound potently and selectively inhibited DNase gamma activity with an IC(50) value of 3.2 microM. DR396 did not delay the apoptotic processes as judged by the morphological changes and the cleavage of a death substrate, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Furthermore, the compound did not prevent apoptotic DNA fragmentation in Jurkat cells induced by anti-Fas antibody (Ab), which is catalyzed by caspase-activated DNase (CAD). These findings clearly indicate that DR396 exerts chemical knockdown effect of DNase gamma on cells, suggesting that the compound could be an attractive tool for understanding of the physiological significance of DNase gamma.
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PMID:A novel inhibitor that protects apoptotic DNA fragmentation catalyzed by DNase gamma. 1555 67

Curcumin is a natural pigment that has been shown to induce cell death in many cancer cells; however, the death mode depends on the cell type and curcumin concentration. Here we show that, in Jurkat cells, 50 micromol/L curcumin severely lowers cell survival and induces initial stage of chromatin condensation. It also induces caspase-3, which is sufficient to cleave DNA fragmentation factor 45 [DFF45/inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase (ICAD)], the inhibitor of DFF40/CAD endonuclease. However, the release of DFF40/CAD from its inhibitor does not lead to oligonucleosomal DNA degradation in curcumin-treated cells. Moreover, curcumin treatment protects cells from UVC-induced oligonucleosomal DNA degradation. In biochemical experiments using recombinant DFF activated with caspase-3, we show that curcumin inhibits plasmid DNA and chromatin degradation although it does not prevent activation of DFF40/CAD endonuclease after its release from the inhibitor. Using DNA-binding assay, we show that curcumin does not disrupt the DNA-DFF40/CAD interaction. Instead, molecular modeling indicates that the inhibitory effect of curcumin on DFF40/CAD activity results from curcumin binding to the active center of DFF40/CAD endonuclease.
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PMID:Curcumin induces caspase-3-dependent apoptotic pathway but inhibits DNA fragmentation factor 40/caspase-activated DNase endonuclease in human Jurkat cells. 1664 63

Previously it was shown that horizontal DNA transfer between mammalian cells can occur through the uptake of apoptotic bodies, where genes from the apoptotic cells were transferred to neighbouring cells phagocytosing the apoptotic bodies. The regulation of this process is poorly understood. It was shown that the ability of cells as recipient of horizontally transferred DNA was enhanced by deficiency of p53 or p21. However, little is known with regard to the regulation of DNA from donor apoptotic cells. Here we report that the DNA fragmentation factor/caspase-activated DNase (DFF/CAD), which is the endonuclease responsible for DNA fragmentation during apoptosis, plays a significant role in regulation of horizontal DNA transfer. Cells with inhibited DFF/CAD function are poor donors for horizontal gene transfer (HGT) while their ability of being recipients of HGT is not affected.
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PMID:Regulation of mammalian horizontal gene transfer by apoptotic DNA fragmentation. 1714 78

Rotenone, an inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I, induces apoptosis in a variety of cells. However, little is known about endogenous endonucleases involved in rotenone-induced DNA fragmentation, a biochemical hallmark of apoptosis. We used a chemically modified siRNA which is thought to be more effective than a non-modified siRNA to study whether caspase-activated DNase (CAD) contributes to this phenomenon. Western blot analysis showed that CAD protein decreased to 8% of control levels in human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells after a 48h transfection of siRNA. Consistent with the reduction of the protein level, the siRNA was found to inhibit rotenone-induced DNA fragmentation. These results suggest that CAD is the endogenous endonuclease that mediates internucleosomal DNA degradation in rotenone-induced apoptosis.
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PMID:RNAi knockdown of caspase-activated DNase inhibits rotenone-induced DNA fragmentation in HeLa cells. 1723 93


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