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)

Neuronal apoptosis is induced prominently in the newborn rodent brain by glutamate receptor excitotoxicity and related insults, including trauma and hypoxia-ischemia. However, the molecular mechanisms of this neurodegeneration are unclear. We tested the hypothesis that changes in the subcellular distribution of the proapoptotic protein Bax precede the activation of downstream apoptosis-effector mechanisms such as caspase-3 cleavage and endonuclease activation during the progression of excitotoxic neuronal apoptosis in the striatum of newborn rat. Kainic acid (4 nmol) was injected into striatum of anesthetized 7-day-old rats, and the animals were killed at 2, 6, 12, and 24 h postinsult. Controls were age-matched, vehicle-injected, or naive rats. Counts of ultrastructurally confirmed striatal neuron apoptosis in brain sections were highest at 24 h. Striatal tissue was microdissected and fractionated into cytosolic, mitochondrial-, and nuclear-enriched compartments. Immunoblots showed that Bax translocates from the cytosol fraction to the mitochondrial fraction, with maximal translocation by 2 h in the absence of changes in mitochondrial accumulation. Cleaved caspase-3 levels increase progressively in both cytosolic and mitochondrial fractions between 6 and 24 h. Cleaved caspase-3 accumulates in apoptotic striatal neurons as shown by immunolocalization. Internucleosomal fragmentation of DNA coincides with caspase-3 cleavage. We conclude that rapid translocation of Bax to mitochondria precedes caspase-3 and endonuclease activation during excitotoxic neuronal apoptosis in newborn rat brain and that initiation of this death cascade occurs within 2 h after glutamate receptor activation.
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PMID:Rapid subcellular redistribution of Bax precedes caspase-3 and endonuclease activation during excitotoxic neuronal apoptosis in rat brain. 1218 52

Dykellic acid is a novel microbial metabolite isolated from the broth of Westerdykella multispora F50733. Investigations on the molecular function of dykellic acid revealed that this compound partially inhibits calcium influx, resulting in a decrease in Ca(2+)-dependent endonuclease activation and DNA fragmentation induced by camptothecin. In our experiments, active caspase-3-like protease cleavage of procaspase-3, PARP, and cytosolic cytochrome c was inhibited by dykellic acid in a concentration-dependent manner when the apoptosis was induced by camptothecin as well as doxorubicin. We confirmed that dykellic acid did not bind to camptothecin using surface plasmon resonance analysis. These results suggest that dykellic acid inhibits drug-induced apoptosis via a caspase-3-like protease-suppressing mechanism. Our data provide important information on the mechanism of action of dykellic acid and indicate that this compound may be employed in the treatment of specific caspase-3-like protease-mediated diseases.
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PMID:Dykellic acid inhibits drug-induced caspase-3-like protease activation. 1261 68

Zinc has been known for many years to inhibit apoptosis but the mechanism remains unclear. Originally thought to inhibit an apoptotic endonuclease, zinc has subsequently been shown to inhibit steps earlier in the pathway. Since many additional steps in apoptosis have now been defined, we have re-evaluated the steps inhibited by zinc. In response to activation of the chemical-mediated death pathway by anisomycin, 0.3 mM zinc inhibited Bax and Bak activation, cytochrome c release, and all of the subsequent steps in apoptosis. In the receptor-mediated death pathway initiated by Fas or tumor necrosis factor, 3 mM zinc was required to inhibit apoptosis as judged by inhibition of caspase 3 activity and DNA digestion, but it failed to inhibit cytochrome c release, activation of Bax and Bak, or upstream signaling events in this pathway. These results are consistent with zinc selectively inhibiting activation of BH3-only proteins required in the chemical pathway but inhibiting downstream caspase activation in the death-receptor pathway.
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PMID:Zinc inhibits Bax and Bak activation and cytochrome c release induced by chemical inducers of apoptosis but not by death-receptor-initiated pathways. 1276 74

We previously isolated a 34-kDa nuclease (AN34) from apoptotic human leukemia cells. Here, we identify AN34 as an N-terminally truncated form of human AP endonuclease (Ape1) lacking residues 1-35 (delta35-Ape1). Although Ape1 has hitherto been considered specific for damaged DNA (specific to AP site), recombinant AN34 (delta35-Ape1) possesses significant endonuclease activity on undamaged (normal) DNA and in chromatin. AN34 also displays enhanced 3'-5' exonuclease activity. Caspase-3 activates AN34 in a cell-free system, although caspase-3 cannot cleave Ape1 directly in vitro. We also found that Ape1 itself preferentially cleaves damaged chromatin DNA isolated from cells treated with apoptotic stimuli and that silencing of Ape1 expression decreases apoptotic DNA fragmentation in DFF40/CAD-deficient cells. Thus, we propose that AN34 and Ape1 participate in the process of chromatin fragmentation during apoptosis.
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PMID:Human apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease (Ape1) and its N-terminal truncated form (AN34) are involved in DNA fragmentation during apoptosis. 1284 73

The Bcl-2 oncoprotein is a potent inhibitor of apoptosis induced by numerous physiological and pathological stimuli, and uncontrolled cell survival due to Bcl-2 overexpression has been shown to contribute to tumour formation and the development of autoimmune diseases. The multifunctional action of Bcl-2 is thought to prevent activation of the ced3/caspase-3 subfamily of ICE proteases, resulting in suppression of the death effector machinery. Since most conventional anti-cancer agents act by triggering this suicide pathway, overexpression of Bcl-2 in cancer cells has also been associated with drug resistance. The antisense approach to inhibition of gene expression relies on the binding of small synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides to a complementary base sequence on a target mRNA. As a consequence, expression of the corresponding gene is downregulated due to endonuclease-mediated hydrolysis of the mRNA strand, or to translational arrest arising from sterie hindrance by the RNA:DNA heterodimer. Since these mechanisms of action differ from those exerted by conventional anticancer agents, antisense oligodeoxynucleotides designed to specifically inhibit bcl-2 gene expression hold great promise as agents that could overcome clinical drug resistance, and improve the treatment outcome of many hitherto incurable cancer diseases.
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PMID:Bcl-2 antisense therapy for cancer: the art of persuading tumour cells to commit suicide. 1464 3

The role of p53 in apoptosis and the contrasting p53 status in tumors prompted us to investigate the bleomycin-induced apoptosis in p53-null human leukemia HL-60 cells (bleomycin at 160 microM for 7.5 h). Cells with apoptotic phenotype increased from 0.87% in controls to 9.40% in bleomycin-treated cells. Both the enzymes, caspase-3 and -8, were activated. Furthermore, the apoptotic phenotypes totally disappeared with zVAD-fmk, a caspase inhibitor. Besides, cytochrome c release from mitochondria happened simultaneously to apoptotic phenotypes, shrinkage of mitochondria but being independent of the mitochondrial permeability transition, since cyclosporine A and bongkrekic acid were inefficient on induced apoptosis. On the other hand, incubations with bleomycin (BLM) did not result in detectable changes in the expression of Bcl-2- and Bax-mRNA neither Bcl-2- or Bax-proteins. In conclusion, we suggest that BLM can produce apoptosis independently of p53 through three mechanisms: i) at the nuclear level by its endonuclease activities; ii) at the cell membrane, by activating caspases; and iii) at the mitochondria by releasing cytochrome c. These results indicate that BLM-induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells results from the activation of a mitochondria-dependent caspase cascade which includes also the activation of the initiator caspase-8.
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PMID:Induction of apoptosis by bleomycin in p53-null HL-60 leukemia cells. 1471 7

We have recently shown that acetaminophen induces many of the apoptotic traits in hepatoma cells and lymphocytes (Boulares et al. (2002d). In an effort to further investigate the mechanism by which non-metabolized acetaminophen induces apoptosis, we have now examined the roles of caspase-3, the DNA fragmentation factor, and the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1-regulated Ca2+ and Mg2+-dependent endonuclease DNAS1L3 in the induction of such death process. This was achieved with the use of MCF-7 cells, a caspase-3-deficient breast adenocarcinoma cell line, thymocytes isolated from DFF45 (the inhibitory and chaperone subunit of the DNA fragmentation factor subunit, DFF40) deficient mice, and HeLa cells, a DNAS1L3-deficient cervical carcinoma cell line. MCF-7 exhibited a marked resistance to acetaminophen treatment. Ectopic expression of human caspase-3 significantly potentiated the cytotoxic effect of acetaminophen and promoted the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol of treated cells suggesting a direct role for caspase-3 in acetaminophen-induced apoptosis. Expression and cleavage of DFF45 were required but not sufficient for acetaminophen-induced internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. DFF45 gene knockout rendered thymocytes resistant against acetaminophen-induced generation of both large and internucleosomal DNA fragments. The treatment of HeLa cells with acetaminophen resulted in internuclesomal DNA fragmentation only after transfection of these cells with a plasmid encoding the DNAS1L3 gene suggesting that this endonuclease is required for acetaminophen-induced internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. DNAS1L3 expression potentiated the cytotoxic effect of acetaminophen in HeLa cells suggesting an active role in the death process induced by this drug. Altogether, these results demonstrate the specific roles of caspase-3, DNA fragmentation factor, and DNAS1L3 in the process of acetaminophen-induced apoptosis in cultured cells.
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PMID:Mechanism of acetaminophen-induced apoptosis in cultured cells: roles of caspase-3, DNA fragmentation factor, and the Ca2+ and Mg2+ endonuclease DNAS1L3. 1472 11

It is known that mammalian rpS3 functions as a DNA repair endonuclease and ribosomal protein S3. It was also observed that several ribosomal proteins or DNA repair enzymes are related to apoptosis. We report here a third function of rpS3, induction of apoptosis. The localization of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-rpS3 is changed to the nuclear membrane when lymphocytic cells undergo rpS3-induced apoptosis. Transient expression of GFP-rpS3 activates caspase-8/caspase-3 and sensitizes cytokine-induced apoptosis. Deletion analysis reveals that the two functions of rpS3, DNA repair and apoptosis, use independent functional domains.
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PMID:RpS3, a DNA repair endonuclease and ribosomal protein, is involved in apoptosis. 1498 2

To explore the change of sensitivity to chemotherapy of antisense RNA targeting survivin on hepatocarcinoma carcinoma cells in vitro. Survivin mRNA structure region was amplified by RT-PCR and inserted inversely into eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3. The antisense expression plasmid pcDNA3/survivin was transfected into HepG2 with lipofectAMINE 2000 (LF2000), with low concentration of 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) added. Survivin protein was detected by Western-blot, the growth activity was measured by MTT, and apoptosis was detected by Flow Cytometry 12 h, 24 h, 48 h after transfection. The activity of caspase-3 was found by quantitative assay 48 h after transfection. The construction of antisense RNA vector pcDNA3/survivin was verified by restricted endonuclease digestion and nucleotide sequencing. Compared with normal group, 5-Fu and antisense survivin group, the cells growth inhibition, apoptosis index, and caspase-3 activity were increased in antisense survivin transfected + 5-Fu group. The threshold of apoptosis was decreased after survivin was silenced, and the sensitivity to chemotherapy was increased. These findings suggest the existence of a potential new target for gene therapy.
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PMID:An antisense plasmid targeting survivin expression induces apoptosis and sensitizes hepatocarcinoma cells to chemotherapy. 1501 43

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


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