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)

Herbal medicines are increasingly being utilized to treat a wide variety of disease processes. Gypenosides (Gyp) are triterpenoid saponins contained in an extract from Gynostemma pentaphyllum Makino and reported to induce apoptosis in human hepatoma cells. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the Gyp-induced apoptotic process is unclear. In this study, we found that Gyp induced apoptosis in human hepatoma Huh-7, Hep3B and HA22T cell lines as evidenced by morphological changes, 4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining and in situ terminal transferase-mediated dUTP-fluorescensin nick end-labeling assay. Our data demonstrated that Gyp-induced apoptotic cell death was accompanied by up-regulation of Bax, Bak and Bcl-X(L), and down-regulation of Bcl-2 and Bad, while it had no effect on the level of Bag-1 protein. Moreover, Gyp treatment caused the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c to cytosol and sequential activation of caspases, including caspase-1, -9 and -3, then leading to cleavage of poly-ADP-ribose polymerase. Furthermore, the Gyp-induced apoptosis was markedly blocked by the broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor, z-VAD-fmk. Taken together, these results suggest that treatment of human hepatoma cells with Gyp induced apoptosis through the up-regulation of Bax and Bak, and down-regulation of Bcl-2, release of mitochondrial cytochrome c and activation of caspase cascade.
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PMID:Regulation of Bcl-2 family molecules and activation of caspase cascade involved in gypenosides-induced apoptosis in human hepatoma cells. 1206 92

Experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in a rapid and significant necrosis of cortical tissue at the site of injury. In the ensuing hours and days, secondary injury exacerbates the primary damage resulting in significant neurological dysfunction. The identification of cell death pathways that mediate this secondary traumatic injury have not been elucidated, however recent studies have implicated a role for apoptosis in the neuropathology of traumatic brain injury. The present study utilized a controlled cortical impact model of brain injury to assess the involvement of apoptotic pathways: release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and the activation of caspase-1- and caspase-3-like proteases in the injured cortex at 6, 12 and 24 h post-injury. Collectively, these results demonstrate cytochrome c release from mitochondria and its redistribution into the cytosol occurs in a time-dependent manner following TBI. The release of cytochrome c is accompanied by a time-dependent increase in caspase-3-like protease activity with no apparent increase in caspase-1-like activity. However, pretreatment with a general caspase inhibitor had no significant effect on the amount of cortical damage observed at 7 days post-injury. Our data suggest that several pro-apoptotic events occur following TBI, however the translocation of cytochrome c itself and/or other events upstream of caspase activation/inhibition may be sufficient to induce neuronal cell death.
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PMID:Cytochrome c release and caspase activation after traumatic brain injury. 1221 3

Transgenic expression of mutant superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) produces an animal model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disorder. We have previously shown that the mitochondrial-dependent programmed cell death (PCD) pathway, including the redistribution of Bax, the cytosolic release of cytochrome c, and the activation of caspase-9, is recruited during neurodegeneration in spinal cords of transgenic mutant SOD1 mice. Herein, we show that the pro-PCD protein Bid is highly expressed in spinal cords of both wild-type and transgenic mutant SOD1 mice. While full-length Bid is found in the spinal cord of the two groups of mice, its cleaved form is only seen in transgenic mutant SOD1 mice, as early as the beginning of symptoms. In contrast, activated caspase-8, which is known to cleave Bid, is detected only at the end-stage of the disease. We also found that the expression of a dominant negative mutant of caspase-1 attenuates Bid cleavage as well as the mitochondrial release of cytochrome c, and the ensuing activation of caspase-9 and -3 in spinal cords of transgenic mutant SOD1 mice. These findings suggest that Bid cleavage may occur in this model by a pathway other than caspase-8 and shed light onto the molecular correlates of the previously reported beneficial effect of caspase-1 inhibition in transgenic mutant SOD1 mice.
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PMID:Instrumental activation of bid by caspase-1 in a transgenic mouse model of ALS. 1221 39

This study is an investigation into the mechanism of Clostridium difficile toxin A-induced apoptosis in human intestinal epithelial cells. Toxin A induced apoptosis of T84 cells in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. Toxin A-induced apoptosis was completely inhibited by blocking toxin enzymatic activity on Rho GTPases with uridine 5'-diphosphate-2',3'-dialdehyde by a nonspecific caspase inhibitor and was partially inhibited by caspase-1, -3, -6, -8, and -9 inhibitors. Caspases 3, 6, 8, and 9 and Bid activation were detected. Toxin A also induced changes in mitochondrial membrane potential and cytochrome c release at 18-24 h, a time course similar to caspase-9 activation. In conclusion, toxin A induces apoptosis by a mechanism dependent on inactivation of Rho, activation of caspases 3, 6, 8, and 9 and Bid, and mitochondrial damage followed by cytochrome c release. Toxin A proapoptotic activity may contribute to the mucosal disruption seen in toxin A-induced enteritis.
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PMID:Mechanism of Clostridium difficile toxin A-induced apoptosis in T84 cells. 1240 59

Our results presented here suggest that cortical neurons degenerate via two caspase-mediated apoptotic pathways when challenged with 0.5 microM rotenone. Although these two pathways can be attributed to the loss of mitochondrial integrity, the triggers for these pathways are likely due to two separate subsequent events (the release of cytochrome c and the emergence of mitochondrial permeability transition [MPT]). Despite some reports suggesting that the release of cytochrome c is a consequence of MPT, the results of our time course experiments suggest otherwise. In fact, we observed that the release of cytochrome c occurred much earlier than MPT; hence, the former is unlikely to be a consequence of the latter. In addition, we observed that the presence of an MPT inhibitor did not attenuate the activation of caspase-3, and that caspase-1-mediated cell death did not exhibit nuclear condensation and DNA fragmentation. Taken together, these results suggest that there are two routes by which cortical neurons degenerate during ischemic injury or in neurodegenerative diseases.
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PMID:Two caspase-mediated apoptotic pathways induced by rotenone toxicity in cortical neuronal cells. 1255 50

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram-negative facultative opportunistic pathogen associated with severe infections in immunocompromised hosts and in patients with cystic fibrosis. P. aeruginosa strains show divergent pathogenicity in vivo and trigger apoptosis of and/or are internalized into human host cells. In the present study, we studied the molecular ordering of apoptosis signaling upon infection of human conjunctiva epithelial Chang cells with P. aeruginosa PAK as well as the role of bacterial pili in the response to the infection. Our results show that CD95 up-regulation is followed by early activation of caspase-8 and -3 and cleavage of the caspase-3 substrate poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. The data also demonstrate release of apoptosis inducing factor into the cytosol of infected cells. Induction of mitochondrial alterations, i.e., mitochondrial depolarization and release of cytochrome c, as well as cleavage of caspase-9, -7, and -1 occurred only at later time points. In addition, our results demonstrate that pili are required for P. aeruginosa-induced apoptosis of human epithelial cells. While the two piliated P. aeruginosa strains, PAO-I and PAK, induced apoptosis of Chang cells within 3 h of infection, the pilus-deficient P. aeruginosa mutants PAK Delta pilA and PAK Delta pilA Delta all were without effect. The pilus-deficient mutants failed to induce a significant up-regulation of CD95 on the cell surface and to trigger mitochondrial alterations or activation of caspase-8, -3, and -7. In addition, only the piliated wild-type strains induced caspase-1-mediated activation of interleukin-1 beta. Thus, pili are necessary for distinct infection-induced cellular responses of human epithelial cells.
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PMID:Apoptotic response of Chang cells to infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains PAK and PAO-I: molecular ordering of the apoptosis signaling cascade and role of type IV pili. 1270 41

Focal ischemia by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) results in necrosis at the infarct core and activation of complex signal pathways for cell death and cell survival in the penumbra. Recent studies have shown activation of the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways of caspase-mediated cell death, as well as activation of the caspase-independent signaling pathway of apoptosis in several paradigms of focal cerebral ischemia by transient MCAO to adult rats and mice. The extrinsic pathway (cell-death receptor pathway) is initiated by activation of the Fas receptor after binding to the Fas ligand (Fas-L); increased Fas and Fas-L expression has been shown following focal ischemia. Moreover, focal ischemia is greatly reduced in mice expressing mutated (nonfunctional) Fas. Increased expression of caspase-1, -3, -8, and -9, and of cleaved caspase-8, has been observed in the penumbra. Activation of the intrinsic (mitochondrial) pathway following focal ischemia is triggered by Bax translocation to and competition with Bcl-2 and other members of the Bcl-2 family in the mitochondria membrane that is followed by cytochrome c release to the cytosol. Bcl-2 over-expression reduces infarct size. Cytochrome c binds to Apaf-1 and dATP and recruits and cleaves pro-caspase-9 in the apoptosome. Both caspase-8 and caspase-9 activate caspase-3, among other caspases, which in turn cleave several crucial substrates, including the DNA-repairing enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), into fragments of 89 and 28 kDa. Inhibition of caspase-3 reduces the infarct size, further supporting caspase-3 activation following transient MCAO. In addition, caspase-8 cleaves Bid, the truncated form of which has the capacity to translocate to the mitochondria and induce cytochrome c release. The volume of brain infarct is greatly reduced in Bid-deficient mice, thus indicating activation of the mitochondrial pathway by cell-death receptors following focal ischemia. Recent studies have shown the mitochondrial release of other factors; Smac/DIABLO (Smac: second mitochondrial activator of caspases: DIABLO: direct IAP binding protein with low pI) binds to and neutralizes the effects of the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP). Finally, apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) translocates to the mitochondria and the nucleus following focal ischemia and produces peripheral chromatin condensation and large-scale DNA strands, thus leading to the caspase-independent cell death pathway of apoptosis. Delineation of the pro-apoptotic and pro-survival signals in the penumbra may not only increase understanding of the process but also help to rationalize strategies geared to reducing brain damage targeted at the periphery of the infarct core.
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PMID:Signaling of cell death and cell survival following focal cerebral ischemia: life and death struggle in the penumbra. 1272 25

Amyloid-beta (Abeta) is a major constituent of the neuritic plaque found in the brain of Alzheimer's disease patients, and a great deal of evidence suggests that the neuronal loss that is associated with the disease is a consequence of the actions of Abeta. In the past few years, it has become apparent that activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) mediates some of the effects of Abeta on cultured cells; in particular, the evidence suggests that Abeta-triggered JNK activation leads to cell death. In this study, we investigated the effect of intracerebroventricular injection of Abeta(1-40) on signaling events in the hippocampus and on long term potentiation in Schaffer collateral CA1 pyramidal cell synapses in vivo. We report that Abeta(1-40) induced activation of JNK in CA1 and that this was coupled with expression of the proapoptotic protein, Bax, cytosolic cytochrome c, poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, and Fas ligand expression in the hippocampus. These data indicate that Abeta(1-40) inhibited expression of long term potentiation, and this effect was abrogated by administration of the JNK inhibitor peptide, D-JNKI1. In parallel with these findings, we observed that Abeta-induced changes in caspase-3 activation and TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling staining in neuronal cultured cells were inhibited by D-JNKI1. We present evidence suggesting that interleukin (IL)-1beta plays a significant role in mediating the effects of Abeta(1-40) because Abeta(1-40) increased hippocampal IL-1beta and because several effects of Abeta(1-40) were inhibited by the caspase-1 inhibitor Ac-YVAD-CMK. On the basis of our findings, we propose that Abeta-induced changes in hippocampal plasticity are likely to be dependent upon IL-1beta-triggered activation of JNK.
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PMID:Activation of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase signaling cascade mediates the effect of amyloid-beta on long term potentiation and cell death in hippocampus: a role for interleukin-1beta? 1273 69

Oxidative stress has been shown to be associated with apoptosis (programmed cell death) in a number of cell systems. We earlier reported in vitro cultured Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells as a model system to study oxidative stress induced apoptosis (J Biosciences 24 (1999) 13) and the inhibition of UV-induced apoptosis by the baculovirus antiapoptotic p35 protein that acts as a sink to sequester reactive oxygen species (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 96 (1999) 4838). We now show that UV-induced apoptosis in Sf9 cells, is preceded by the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c into the cytosol and consequent activation of Sf-caspase-1. The inhibitory effect of different antioxidants including scavengers of oxygen radicals such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), alpha tocopherol acetate, benzoate and reduced-glutathione (GSH) on ultra violet B (UVB)-induced apoptosis in cultured Sf9 cells was assessed. Both, cytochrome c release as well as Sf-caspase-1 activation was inhibited by pre-treatment with antioxidants such as BHA and alpha tocopherol acetate, suggesting that these antioxidants inhibit apoptosis by acting quite upstream in the apoptosis cascade at the mitochondrial level, as well as downstream at the caspase level.
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PMID:Antioxidants prevent UV-induced apoptosis by inhibiting mitochondrial cytochrome c release and caspase activation in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells. 1279 76

We explored a possible mechanism of the neuro-protective effects of exogenous human Bcl-2 expression on motor neurons of transgenic mice expressing human Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase with a G93A mutation (G93A mice), using retrograde transport and a Cre-loxP recombination system employing adenoviral vectors. We examined the cellular localization of cytochrome c and caspase-1 using immunohistochemical study, in motor neurons of hypoglossal nuclei of G93A mice at 15 weeks after inoculation with the adenoviral vectors, at which time over-expressed exogenous Bcl-2 declined to reach the baseline of intrinsic Bcl-2. We found that a significant number of neurons showed more faint and punctate immunostaining against cytochrome c and significantly less neurons showed immunoreactivity against activated caspase-1, compared with those of mice without inoculation. These results suggest that transient exogenous Bcl-2 expression at the early stage of the disease protects against motor neuronal degeneration in G93A mice by retarding translocation of cytochrome c into the cytosol, and regulating caspase-1 for a substantial period.
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PMID:Bcl-2 expression using retrograde transport of adenoviral vectors inhibits cytochrome c-release and caspase-1 activation in motor neurons of mutant superoxide dismutase 1 (G93A) transgenic mice. 1296 7


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