Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.22.36 (caspase-1)
 6,285 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Engagement of CD95 or tumor necrosis factor 1 receptor (TNFR-1) by ligand or agonist antibodies is capable of activating the cell death program, the effector arm of which is composed of mammalian interleukin-1beta converting enzyme (ICE)-like cysteine proteases (designated caspases) that are related to the Caenorhabditis elegans death gene, CED-3. Caspases, unlike other mammalian cysteine proteases, cleave their substrates following aspartate residues. Furthermore, proteases belonging to this family exist as zymogens that in turn require cleavage at internal aspartate residues to generate the two-subunit active enzyme. As such, family members are capable of activating each other. Remarkably, both CD95 and TNFR-1 death receptors initiate apoptosis by recruiting a novel ICE/CED-3 family member, designated FLICE/MACH, to the receptor signaling complex. Therefore, FLICE/MACH represents the apical triggering protease in the cascade. Consistent with this, recombinant FLICE was found capable of proteolytically activating downstream caspases. Furthermore, CrmA, a pox virus-encoded serpin that inhibits Fas and tumor necrosis factor-induced cell death attenuates the ability of FLICE to activate downstream caspases.
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PMID:FLICE induced apoptosis in a cell-free system. Cleavage of caspase zymogens. 900 41

Glucocorticoids (GC) induce programmed cell death (apoptosis) in immature lymphocytes and are an essential component in the therapy of acute lymphatic leukemia. The mechanism underlying GC-induced apoptosis particularly in leukemia cells is, however, not well understood. Most forms of apoptosis seem to employ a common final effector pathway characterized by specific proteolytic events mediated by interleukin 1beta-converting enzyme (ICE) and/or other ICE-like cysteine proteases. These events may result in the morphologic changes characteristic of apoptosis. To determine whether a similar proteolytic pathway is activated during GC-induced leukemia cell apoptosis, we investigated poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), a typical target of ICE-like proteases, during GC-induced apoptosis of the human acute T-cell leukemic cell line CEM-C7H2. Our studies showed proteolytic PARP cleavage suggestive of activation of ICE-like proteases that preceeded morphologic signs of apoptosis. We further established stably transfected CEM-C7H2 sublines expressing the cowpox virus protein CrmA that inhibits some, but not all, ICE-like proteases. GC-induced PARP cleavage and apoptosis were neither inhibited nor delayed in crmA-expressing cell lines. In contrast, crmA expression rendered the same lines resistant to Apo1/Fas-induced PARP cleavage and apoptosis. Thus, different proteases might be activated during the effector phases of GC-and Apo1/Fas-induced apoptosis in human leukemia cells.
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PMID:The interleukin 1beta-converting enzyme inhibitor CrmA prevents Apo1/Fas- but not glucocorticoid-induced poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage and apoptosis in lymphoblastic leukemia cells. 901 54

Direct killing of CD4+ lymphocytes by human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) probably cannot account for the magnitude of the loss of these cells during the course of HIV-1 infection. Experimental evidence supports a pathophysiologic role of the apoptotic process in depletion of CD4 cells in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The Fas-receptor/Fas-ligand (Fas-R/Fas-L) system mediates signals for apoptosis of susceptible lymphocytes and lympoblastoid cell lines. A number of investigators have recently reported increased expression of the Fas receptor in individuals with HIV infection, along with increased sensitivity of their lymphocytes to anti-Fas antibody mimicking Fas ligand. We attempted to determine the role of Fas-mediated apoptosis in disease progression and viral replication. Increased Fas-receptor (CD95) expression on CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes was found in a large group of HIV-1-infected patients compared with normal controls; individuals with a diagnosis of AIDS and a history of opportunistic infection had significantly more Fas receptor expression than did asymptomatic HIV-infected persons and normal blood donor controls (P < .01). Triggering of the Fas-R by agonistic anti-Fas monoclonal antibody, CH11, was preferentially associated with apoptosis in the CD4+ cells; this effect was more pronounced in lymphocytes derived from HIV+ individuals. Soluble and membrane-bound forms of Fas-L were produced in greater amounts in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) cultures and in plasma obtained from HIV-1-infected persons than from normal controls. Furthermore, triggering of lymphocytes from HIV-infected persons by CH11 increased levels of interleukin-1beta converting enzyme (ICE), a protein associated with apoptosis. When PBMC were cultured in the presence of CH11, p24 production per number of viable cells was decreased as compared with the same PBMC without CH11 (P < .01). These findings suggest that multiple mechanisms, including increased production of Fas-L by infected PBMC, increased Fas-R expression, and induction of a protease of ICE family, may play roles in the apoptotic depletion of CD4+ cells in HIV infection.
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PMID:Role of Fas ligand and receptor in the mechanism of T-cell depletion in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: effect on CD4+ lymphocyte depletion and human immunodeficiency virus replication. 902 59

In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans apoptosis is tightly regulated by a hierarchical set of genes. Two of these, ced-3 and ced-9, possess mammalian homologues encoding executional ICE proteases and inhibitory Bcl-2-related proteins, respectively. The function of a third key player, ced-4, is however completely unknown and no mammalian counterparts have been identified. Here we report that Ced-4 protein contains a structural region with similarity to the mammalian death effector domain which has previously been demonstrated to act as an important protein interaction motif in the signaling pathway of the mammalian surface receptor Fas (APO-1, CD95). Based on this finding and previously described genetic experiments, we propose that Ced-4, similar to the mammalian proteins FADD and FLICE, may possess a function as an adaptor protein in invertebrate apoptotic pathways.
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PMID:The Caenorhabditis elegans death protein Ced-4 contains a motif with similarity to the mammalian 'death effector domain'. 903 6

Activation of ICE/Ced-3 family proteases (caspases) has been proposed to mediate both the granule exocytosis and Fas-Fas ligand pathways of rapid target cell death by cytotoxic T lymphocytes. In agreement with this model, two peptide fluoromethyl ketone caspase inhibitors and baculovirus p35 blocked apoptotic nuclear damage and target cell lysis by the CTL-mediated Fas-Fas ligand pathway. The peptide caspase inhibitors also blocked drug-induced apoptotic cell death in tumor cells. In contrast, the caspase inhibitors blocked CTL granule exocytosis-induced target apoptotic nuclear damage, but did not inhibit target lysis. These results are consistent with recent demonstrations that granzyme B can activate caspases leading to apoptotic nuclear damage, but show that target cell lysis by CTL granule exocytosis occurs by a caspase-independent pathway.
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PMID:Target cell lysis by CTL granule exocytosis is independent of ICE/Ced-3 family proteases. 904 42

The vaccinia virus (VV) strain Western Reserve B13R gene encodes a 38.5 kDa intracellular polypeptide that is non-essential for virus replication in vitro and does not affect virus virulence in a murine intranasal model. The protein has 92% amino acid identity with the cowpox virus cytokine response modifier A (crmA) protein which inhibits the interleukin (IL)-1beta converting enzyme (ICE). Here, we show that extracts from THP-1 cells infected with VV strains expressing B13R prevent the cleavage of in vitro transcribed and translated pro-IL-1beta into mature IL-1beta. Similarly, THP-1 cells infected with VVs expressing B13R process pro-IL-1beta into mature IL-1beta inefficiently in situ. Despite its inhibition of ICE, B13R does not prevent fever in infected mice, a systemic effect mediated by IL-1beta. Instead, fever is controlled by the VV IL-1beta receptor, encoded by gene B15R, and deletion of both the B13R and B15R genes did not increase the febrile response compared to deletion of B15R alone. The B13R protein does, however, block apoptosis mediated by anti-Fas antibodies or by tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and cycloheximide. Using DNA fragmentation, chromium release and microscopic analyses it was shown that cells infected with wild-type VV strain WR, or a revertant virus in which the B13R gene had been re-inserted into the B13R deletion mutant, are more resistant than uninfected cells or deletion mutant-infected cells to apoptosis mediated by anti-Fas and TNF.
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PMID:Vaccinia virus serpin B13R (SPI-2) inhibits interleukin-1beta-converting enzyme and protects virus-infected cells from TNF- and Fas-mediated apoptosis, but does not prevent IL-1beta-induced fever. 904 22

The two apoptosis receptors of mammalian cells, i.e. the 55 kDa TNF receptor (TNF-R1) and CD95 (Fas/APO1) are activated independently of each other, however, their signaling involves a variety of ICE-related proteases [I]. We used a cell-permeable inhibitor of ICE-like protease activity to examine in vivo whether post-receptor signaling of TNF and CD95 are fully independent processes. Mice pretreated with the inhibitor, Z-VAD-fluoromethylketone (FMK) were dose-dependently protected from liver injury caused by CD95 activation as determined by plasma alanine aminotransferase and also from hepatocyte apoptosis assessed by DNA fragmentation (ID50 = 0.1 mg/kg). A dose of 10 mg/kg protected mice also from liver injury induced by TNF-alpha. Similar results were found when apoptosis was initiated via TNF-alpha or via CD95 in primary murine hepatocytes (IC50 = 1.5 nM) or in various human cell lines. In addition to prevention, an arrest of cell death by Z-VAD-FMK was demonstrated in vivo and in vitro after stimulation of apoptosis receptors. These findings show in vitro and in vivo in mammals that CD95 and the TNF-alpha receptor share a distal proteolytic apoptosis signal.
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PMID:ICE-protease inhibitors block murine liver injury and apoptosis caused by CD95 or by TNF-alpha. 909 74

Fas antigen is a member of the tumor necrosis factor/nerve growth factor receptor family. Stimulation of Fas by Fas ligand or agonistic antibodies results in the activation of interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme-like (ICE-like) proteases, and proteolytic cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Ultimately, Fas activation leads to apoptotic cell death. The importance of PARP cleavage to the death process remains unclear. We have hypothesized that the cleavage of other cellular substrates may be important for Fas-mediated apoptosis. Here we show that stimulation of Fas results in significant alterations of retinoblastoma protein (RB). Treatment of Jurkat cells, a human leukemic T cell line, with anti-Fas induces dephosphorylation of RB, followed by proteolytic cleavage. These events precede internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. Dephosphorylation and cleavage of RB are inhibited by a specific tetrapeptide inhibitor of ICE-like proteases or by expression of cowpox virus CrmA protein or the Bcl-2 oncoprotein. Inhibition of these RB changes correlates with inhibition of apoptosis. We propose that cleavage of RB may represent an important step in the pathway of Fas-mediated apoptotic cell death.
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PMID:Fas stimulation induces RB dephosphorylation and proteolysis that is blocked by inhibitors of the ICE protease family. 909 8

Ligation of the cell surface receptor Fas/APO-1 (CD95) by its specific ligand or by anti-Fas antibodies rapidly induces apoptosis in susceptible cells. To characterize the molecular events involved in Fas-induced apoptosis, we examined the contribution of two subgroups of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase family, the Jun kinases or stress-activated protein kinases (JNKs/SAPKs) and the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs), in a Fas-sensitive neuroblastoma cell line. Here we show that both JNK and ERK protein kinases were activated upon Fas crosslinking through a Ras-dependent mechanism. Interference with either the JNK or ERK pathway by ectopic expression of dominant-interfering mutant proteins blocked Fas-mediated apoptosis. ERK activation was transient and associated with induced expression of the Fas receptor. In contrast, JNK activation was sustained and correlated with the onset of apoptosis. These data indicate that the ERK and the JNK groups of MAP kinases cooperate in the induction of cell death by Fas. Inhibition of Fas killing by an interleukin 1beta-converting enzyme (ICE)-like protease inhibitor peptide did not modify Fas-induced JNK activation upon Fas ligation. In contrast, changes in Bcl-2 level due to expression of sense and antisense vectors influenced the sensitivity to Fas killing and Fas-induced JNK activation.
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PMID:Mitogen-activated protein kinase-mediated Fas apoptotic signaling pathway. 909 88

Programmed cell death or apoptosis provides an irreversible mechanism for the elimination of excess or damaged cells. Several recent studies have implicated the activation of the interleukin 1beta-converting enzyme/Ced-3 (ICE/Ced-3) family of proteases as the "point of no return" in apoptotic cell death, while others have suggested that loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (delta psi(m)) is the ultimate determinant of cell death. The temporal relationship of these two events during apoptosis and the role of Bcl-2 proteins in inhibiting these steps has not been defined. To examine these issues, control and Bcl-x(L)-transfected Jurkat T cells were treated with Fas antibodies in the presence and absence of the ICE protease inhibitor zVAD-FMK. ICE/Ced-3 protease activity was monitored by following the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and delta psi(m) was followed by rhodamine 123 fluorescence. Although Bcl-x(L) expression did not block Fas-induced protease activation, it substantially inhibited the subsequent loss of delta psi(m) and cell death in Fas-treated cells. In contrast, zVAD-FMK blocked PARP cleavage as well as loss of delta psi(m) and cell death. Together these data demonstrate that Bcl-x(L) can maintain cell viability by preventing the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential that occurs as a consequence of ICE/Ced-3 protease activation.
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PMID:Bcl-x(L) can inhibit apoptosis in cells that have undergone Fas-induced protease activation. 910 51


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