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)

The growth-inhibitory activity of recombinant human interferon-beta (ReIFN-beta) against cultured human cells was compared with that of natural human fibroblast interferon-beta (IFN-beta), and the influence of deficiency of carbohydrate on the anticellular activity was examined. The IC50 (concentration of drug required for 50% inhibition) of ReIFN-beta against 14 human cell lines was almost equivalent to that of IFN-beta, when the cells were cultured for 7 days and ReIFN-beta or IFN-beta was added on day 0 and exchanged every day from day 1 to day 6. The most sensitive cells (ICE less than 10 units/ml) were Daudi lymphoma cells and 3 melanoma cell lines, and the most insensitive cells (IC50 greater than 10(3) units/ml) were HeLa S3/IS cells (insensitive line) and CCRF-CEM leukemia cells. The other 8 cell lines were moderately sensitive to both interferons. As the intervals of exchange of ReIFN-beta or IFN-beta were extended, the growth-inhibitory activity of both interferons decreased. This phenomenon, which was more significant with ReIFN-beta than IFN-beta, was explicable in terms of the stability of both interferons incubated in the culture medium at 37 degrees. The species specificity of IFN-beta was not mediated by carbohydrate since the growth-inhibitory activity of ReIFN-beta against 2 mouse cell lines was almost equivalent to that of IFN-beta. These results indicate that the anticellular activity of ReIFN-beta was not essentially affected by deficiency of carbohydrate.
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PMID:Growth-inhibitory activity of recombinant human interferon-beta against cultured human cells. 664 44

To investigate the intra-hepatic activation of the IFN system in patients affected by chronic HCV-infection in comparison with that observed in a non-infectious liver disease such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, we measured the liver steady state mRNA levels of interferon-alpha, interferon-beta and interferon-gamma as well as of IFN-related genes (IFNAR-1, STAT1alpha, PKR, 2-5 AS, IRF-1, ICE and IL-18). In HCV-infected subjects, possible correlations of these parameters with viral load and liver injury were also analyzed. Twenty-four chronic untreated HCV-infected subjects and seven patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis were enrolled in the study. Liver biopsies were graded according to Knodell scores. Intra-hepatic mRNA levels of IFNs and related genes were assessed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. In comparison with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, in HCV-infected subjects IFN-alpha and -beta mRNA levels were significantly lower, whereas IFN-gamma, IFNAR-1, STAT1alpha IRF-1, and IL-18 mRNA were upregulated. Moreover, IFN-gamma mRNA steady state levels were correlated positively with those of IFNAR-1, IRF-1, and IL-18, suggesting a coordinated induction of these genes. Although plasma viral load was correlated inversely with IL-18-specific mRNA, viral load was not related to liver injury. IFN-gamma and IRF-1 mRNA levels were correlated positively with ALT, but not with the grading or staging. Conversely, IFN-alpha and -beta mRNA levels were higher in livers with lower staging scores. These findings support the hypothesis that in chronic HCV infection there is an imbalance between an upregulated IFN-gamma system and a downregulated IFN-alpha and -beta system, probably due to a mixed effect exerted by HCV-specific and inflammatory non-specific factors.
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PMID:Endogenous levels of mRNA for IFNs and IFN-related genes in hepatic biopsies of chronic HCV-infected and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis patients. 1279 20

Because the induction of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) is critical to antibacterial host defenses and its excessive generation is a prominent component of sepsis, regulation of this proinflammatory cytokine is a critical factor in the immune response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We previously showed that LPS-induced IL-1beta expression was regulated by a Stat1-dependent, nitric oxide (NO)-mediated mechanism. Subsequent in vivo studies showed that whereas Stat1 had a role in the downregulation of IL-1beta expression, it had a more significant effect on its initial induction. Although both interferon-beta (IFN-beta) and IFN-gamma activate Stat1, the early appearance of IFN-beta in the circulation after LPS administration suggested its pivotal role in Stat1-mediated IL-1beta expression in vivo. Further in vitro analysis of peritoneal macrophages from IFN-beta (/), Stat1(/), and caspase-1(/) mice and their wild-type controls following LPS stimulation demonstrated that IL-1beta mRNA was expressed in these mice but not in macrophages from MyD88(/) mice. Despite the presence of IL-1beta mRNA, IL-1beta protein was markedly reduced in the absence of Stat1 activation in macrophages derived from IFN-beta (/) and Stat1(/) mice or in the absence of caspase-1 activity, which itself was dependent on Stat1 activation. These studies support the hypothesis that the expression of IL-1beta requires both the MyD88-dependent induction of IL-1beta mRNA and pro-IL-1beta as well as the MyD88-independent, Stat1-mediated processing of that gene product into active cytokine.
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PMID:A role for Stat1 in the regulation of lipopolysaccharide-induced interleukin-1beta expression. 1703 68

The cytokine interleukin (IL)-1beta is a key mediator of the inflammatory response and has been implicated in the pathophysiology of acute and chronic inflammation. IL-1beta is synthesized in response to many stimuli as an inactive pro-IL-1beta precursor protein that is further processed by caspase-1 into mature IL-1beta, which is the secreted biologically active form of the cytokine. Although stimulation of membrane-bound Toll-like receptors (TLRs) up-regulates pro-IL-1beta expression, activation of caspase-1 is believed to be mainly initiated by cytosolic Nod-like receptors. In this study, we show that polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly[I:C]) and lipopolysaccharide stimulation of macrophages induces pro-IL-1beta processing via a Toll/IL-1R domain-containing adaptor-inducing interferon-beta-dependent signaling pathway that is initiated by TLR3 and TLR4, respectively. Ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown of the intracellular receptors NALP3 or MDA5 did not affect poly(I:C)-induced pro-IL-1beta processing. Surprisingly, poly(I:C)- and LPS-induced pro-IL-1beta processing still occurred in caspase-1-deficient cells. In contrast, pro-IL-1beta processing was inhibited by caspase-8 peptide inhibitors, CrmA or vFLIP expression, and caspase-8 knockdown via RNAi, indicating an essential role for caspase-8. Moreover, recombinant caspase-8 was able to cleave pro-IL-1beta in vitro at exactly the same site as caspase-1. These results implicate a novel role for caspase-8 in the production of biologically active IL-1beta in response to TLR3 and TLR4 stimulation.
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PMID:Stimulation of Toll-like receptor 3 and 4 induces interleukin-1beta maturation by caspase-8. 1872 21

Cytoplasmic DNA triggers activation of the innate immune system. Although 'downstream' signaling components have been characterized, the DNA-sensing components remain elusive. Here we present a systematic proteomics screen for proteins that associate with DNA, 'crossed' to a screen for transcripts induced by interferon-beta, which identified AIM2 as a candidate cytoplasmic DNA sensor. AIM2 showed specificity for double-stranded DNA. It also recruited the inflammasome adaptor ASC and localized to ASC 'speckles'. A decrease in AIM2 expression produced by RNA-mediated interference impaired DNA-induced maturation of interleukin 1beta in THP-1 human monocytic cells, which indicated that endogenous AIM2 is required for DNA recognition. Reconstitution of unresponsive HEK293 cells with AIM2, ASC, caspase-1 and interleukin 1beta showed that AIM2 was sufficient for inflammasome activation. Our data suggest that AIM2 is a cytoplasmic DNA sensor for the inflammasome.
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PMID:An orthogonal proteomic-genomic screen identifies AIM2 as a cytoplasmic DNA sensor for the inflammasome. 1915 79