Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.22.56 (caspase-3)
 35,750 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We have shown recently that diallyl trisulfide (DATS), a cancer-chemopreventive constituent of garlic, inactivates Akt to trigger mitochondrial translocation of proapoptotic protein BAD in human prostate cancer cells. Because Akt activation is implicated in the promotion of endothelial cell survival and angiogenesis, we hypothesized that DATS may inhibit angiogenesis. In the present study, we tested this hypothesis using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) as a model. Survival of HUVECs was reduced significantly in the presence of DATS in a concentration-dependent manner, with an IC50 of approximately 4 microM. The DATS-mediated suppression of HUVEC survival was associated with apoptosis induction characterized by accumulation of subdiploid cells, cytoplasmic histone-associated DNA fragmentation, and cleavage of caspase-3 and poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase. The DATS-induced DNA fragmentation was significantly attenuated in the presence of pan-caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk and specific inhibitors of caspase-9 (zLEHD-fmk) and caspase-8 (zIETD-fmk). DATS treatment inhibited the formation of capillary-like tube structure and migration by HUVECs in association with suppression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion and VEGF receptor-2 protein level and inactivation of Akt kinase. DATS treatment also caused activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) but not c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) or p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK).DATS-mediatedapoptosis induction and inhibition of HUVEC tube formation was partially but statistically significantly attenuated by pharmacologic inhibition of ERK1/2 but not JNK or p38MAPK. The present study demonstrates, for the first time, that DATS has the ability to inhibit angiogenic features of human endothelial cells.
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PMID:Diallyl trisulfide inhibits angiogenic features of human umbilical vein endothelial cells by causing Akt inactivation and down-regulation of VEGF and VEGF-R2. 1696 46

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a group of antidepressants, are generally used for treatment of various mood and anxiety disorders. There has been much research showing the anti-tumor and cytotoxic activities of some antidepressants; but the detailed mechanisms were unclear. In cultured human osteosarcoma cells (MG63), paroxetine reduced cell viability in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Paroxetine caused apoptosis as assessed by propidium iodide-stained cells and increased caspase-3 activation. Although immunoblotting data revealed that paroxetine could activate the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), only SB203580 (a p38 MAPK inhibitor) partially prevented cells from apoptosis. Paroxetine also induced [Ca(2+)](i) increases which involved the mobilization of intracellular Ca(2+) stored in the endoplasmic reticulum and Ca(2+) influx from extracellular medium. However, pretreatment with BAPTA/AM, a Ca(2+) chelator, to prevent paroxetine-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increases did not protect cells from death. The results suggest that in MG63 cells, paroxetine caused Ca(2+)-independent apoptosis via inducing p38 MAPK-associated caspase-3 activation.
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PMID:Paroxetine-induced apoptosis in human osteosarcoma cells: activation of p38 MAP kinase and caspase-3 pathways without involvement of [Ca2+]i elevation. 1717 98

We have previously shown that lovastatin, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, induces apoptosis in rat brain neuroblasts. c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) are implicated in regulation of neuronal apoptosis. In this work, we investigated the role of JNK and p38 MAPK in neuroblast apoptosis induced by lovastatin. We found that lovastatin induced the activation of JNK, but not p38 MAPK. It also induced c-Jun phosphorylation with a subsequent increase in activator protein-1 (AP-1) binding, AP-1-mediated gene expression and BimEL protein levels. The effects of lovastatin were prevented by mevalonate. Pre-treatment with iJNK-I (a selective JNK inhibitor) prevented the effect of lovastatin on both neuroblast apoptosis and the activation of the JNK cascade. Furthermore, we found that the activation of the JNK signalling pathway triggered by lovastatin is accompanied by caspase-3 activation which is also inhibited by iJNK-I pre-treatment. Finally, a specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK, SB203580, had no effect on lovastatin-induced neuroblast apoptosis. Taken together, our data suggest that the activation of the JNK/c-Jun/BimEL signalling pathway plays a crucial role in lovastatin-induced neuroblast apoptosis. Our findings may also contribute to elucidate the intracellular mechanisms involved in the central nervous system side effects associated with statin therapy.
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PMID:c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase signalling pathway mediates lovastatin-induced rat brain neuroblast apoptosis. 1725 Oct 57

Activation of Na(+)/H(+) exchange (NHE) plays a major role in cell death following ischemia/hypoxia in many cell types, yet counteracts apoptotic cell death after other stimuli. To address the role of NHE activity in regulation of cell death/survival, we examined the causal relationship between NHE, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), ERK1/2, p53, and Akt activity, and cell death, after chemical anoxia in NIH3T3 fibroblasts. The NHE1 inhibitor 5'-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl) amiloride (EIPA) (5 muM), as well as removal of extracellular Na(+) [replaced by N-methyl-D: -glucamine (NMDG(+))], prevented recovery of intracellular pH (pH(i)) during chemical anoxia (10 mM NaN(3) +/- 10 mM glucose), indicating that activation of NHE was the dominating mechanism of pH(i) regulation under these conditions. NHE activation by chemical anoxia was unaffected by inhibitors of p38 MAPK (SB203580) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) (PD98059). In contrast, chemical anoxia activated p38 MAPK in an NHE-dependent manner, while ERK1/2 activity was unaffected. Anoxia-induced cell death was caspase-3-independent, mildly attenuated by EIPA, potently exacerbated by SB203580, and unaffected by PD98059. Ser(15) phosphorylation of p53 was increased by anoxia in an NHE- and p38 MAPK-independent manner, while Akt activity was unaffected. It is suggested that after chemical anoxia in NIH3T3 fibroblasts, NHE activity is required for activation of p38 MAPK, which in turn protects the cells against anoxia-induced death. In spite of this, NHE inhibition slightly attenuates anoxia-induced cell death, likely due to the involvement of NHE in other anoxia-induced death pathways.
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PMID:Roles of Na+/H+ exchange in regulation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activity and cell death after chemical anoxia in NIH3T3 fibroblasts. 1733 79

Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase-1 (ASK-1) is an important molecule for the pro-apoptotic signaling. ASK-1 also contributes to the cellular survival for many types of cells. Thus, ASK-1 has a broad range of biological activities depending on the cell type. The present study assessed the role(s) of ASK-1 in colorectal cancer cells (HT-29) by using adenovirus vectors expressing wild-type (WT)-ASK-1 or dominant-negative (DN) mutant of ASK-1 and recombinant adenovirus containing the bacterial beta-galactosidase gene (Ad-LacZ), a negative control for Ad-DN-ASK-1. Selective phosphorylation of ASK-1 at Thr 845, a kinase domain site, but not Ser 83 nor 967 sites was induced by serum stimulation in a time-dependent manner. Transfection with Ad-DN-ASK-1 inhibited the serum-induced phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, a downstream molecule of ASK-1. Transfection with Ad-DN-ASK-1 diminished the serum-induced cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, whereas WT-ASK-1 increased it. Apoptosis assessed by Hoechst staining was induced in the Ad-DN-ASK-1 treated cells. In vivo transfection of Ad-DN-ASK-1 into tumor xenografts of HT-29 cells in nude mice significantly decreased the tumor volume on day 29. Cleaved caspase-3 was found in the tumors of DN-ASK-1 treated mice. We obtained the first evidence that DN-ASK-1 transfection exerted significant antitumor effects on colon cancer mediated by apoptosis.
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PMID:Growth inhibition of colon cancer cells by transfection of dominant-negative apoptosis signal-regulating kinase-1. 1734 15

The latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is an oncoprotein expressed in several EBV-associated malignancies. We have utilised mice expressing the Cao strain of LMP1 in epithelia to explore the consequences of expression in vivo, specifically the changes that occur prior to neoplasia, in the hyperplastic but degenerating tissue. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligands (transforming growth factor alpha (TGFalpha), heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor and epiregulin) are constitutively induced by LMP1, leading to EGFR phosphorylation but also down-regulation, degradation or turn-over, with the appearance of cleaved EGFR fragments. This is accompanied by down-regulation of Akt and activation of caspase-3 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Surprisingly, removal of TGFalpha (using the null strain) does not ameliorate the LMP1-induced phenotype, but instead accelerates the deterioration. Consistent with this, EGFR is reduced less rapidly and MAPK/ERK kinase (MEK) and extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) are initially activated in the null background, suggesting that TGFalpha or excess of the ligands together act to divert phosphorylated EGFR into a cleavage pathway. In addition, LMP1 leads to the activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase 2 (JNK2) followed by JNK1 in the effected tissue. Specific AP1 family members FosB, Fra-1 and JunB are constitutively induced and serum response factor, AP1 and nuclear factor kappaB (incorporating p65) are activated in the transgenic tissue compared with wild-type. This system allows the analysis of early events resulting from the expression of a viral oncogene with broad impact in the signalling milieu and the attempts at homeostasis in the responding tissue. It reveals what regulatory circuits are in place in a normal tissue, thus facilitating further prediction of causative events in carcinogenic progression.
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PMID:Latent membrane protein 1-induced EGFR signalling is negatively regulated by TGF alpha prior to neoplasia. 1736 Oct 12

We investigated the involvement and roles of the ionotropic purinergic receptor P2X(7)R in microglia in mediating lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses and neuronal damage in rat striatum. A detailed in vivo study showed that LPS injection into striatum markedly increased the expression of P2X(7)R in microglia compared with control (saline)-injected animals. Additionally, LPS injection upregulated a broad spectrum of proinflammatory mediators, including inducible nitric oxide synthase (nitric oxide production marker), 3-nitrotyrosine (peroxynitrite-mediated nitration marker), 4-hydroxynonenal (lipid peroxidation marker), and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (oxidative DNA damage marker), and reduced neuronal viability. The P2X(7)R antagonist oxidized ATP (oxATP) was effective in attenuating expressions of all inflammatory mediators and in addition inhibited LPS-induced activation of the cellular signaling factors p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and transcriptional factor nuclear factor kappaB. Most importantly, in vivo, oxATP blockade of P2X(7)R also reduced numbers of caspase-3-positive neurons and increased neuronal survival in LPS-injected brain. In vitro, LPS stimulation of cultured human microglia enhanced cellular expressions of a host of proinflammatory factors, including cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), IL-6, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha; all factors were inhibited by oxATP. A novel finding was that LPS potentiated intracellular [Ca(2+)](i) mobilization induced by the P2X(7)R ligand 2',3'-O-(4-benzoyl-benzoyl) ATP, which could serve as a mechanistic link for P2X(7)R amplification of inflammatory responses. Our results suggest critical roles for P2X(7)R in mediating inflammation and inhibition of this subtype purinergic receptor as a novel therapeutic approach to reduce microglial activation and confer neuroprotection in inflamed and diseased brain.
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PMID:Modulation of the purinergic P2X7 receptor attenuates lipopolysaccharide-mediated microglial activation and neuronal damage in inflamed brain. 1747 4

Beta-sitosterol (SITO) is a potential candidate for cancer chemotherapy, however, little is known about the cellular and molecular mechanisms in cancer cells. We herein identified how SITO induces anti-proliferation and cell death in MCA-102 fibrosarcoma cells. SITO exposure induced-apoptosis and the cell death resulted from a significant loss of the Bcl-2 and the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family (XIAP, cIAP-1 and cIAP-2), and increased Bax with an alteration of p53 and p21. SITO-induced cell death significantly also increased caspase activity and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage, and caspase-3 inhibitor z-DEVD-fmk significantly inhibited SITO-induced cell death. These data suggest that the activation of caspase-3 is associated with SITO-induced-apoptosis. Treatment with SITO also induced phosphorylation of extracellular-signal regulating kinase (ERK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MARK), but not c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). A specific ERK inhibitor PD98059 significantly blocks SITO-induced-apoptosis, whereas a JNK inhibitor SP600125 has no affect. A p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 very slightly suppressed cell death. The induction of apoptosis was also accompanied by an inactivation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt, and PI3K inhibitor LY29004 significantly increases SITO-induced cell death. These findings provide evidence demonstrating that the proapoptotic effect of SITO is mediated through the activation of ERK and the block of the PI3K/Akt signal pathway in MCA-102 cells. Therefore, SITO has a strong potential as a therapeutic agent for preventing cancers such as fibrosarcoma.
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PMID:Beta-sitosterol-induced-apoptosis is mediated by the activation of ERK and the downregulation of Akt in MCA-102 murine fibrosarcoma cells. 1757 Mar 21

In the present study, the protective effect of melatonin on sodium arsenite (arsenite)-induced apoptosis was investigated. Local infusion of arsenite elevated lipid peroxidation and depleted glutathione content in the infused substantia nigra (SN), as well as reduced striatal dopamine content. Systemic administration of melatonin diminished arsenite-induced oxidative injury. Furthermore, melatonin attenuated arsenite-induced increases in heat shock protein 70 and heme oxygenase-1 as well as phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and elevations in cyclooxygenase II and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression. Inhibition by melatonin of arsenite-induced apoptosis was determined by its attenuation of DNA fragmentation and terminal deoxytransferase-mediated dUTP-nick end labeling's positive cells in the infused SN of melatonin-treated rats. Melatonin reduced arsenite-induced apoptosis through mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) pathways. In the mitochondrial pathway, systemic melatonin inhibited arsenite-induced elevations in Bcl-2 and cytosolic cytochrome c as well as arsenite-induced reductions in procaspase-3 levels and elevations in active caspase-3 levels in the infused SN. Regarding the ER pathway, melatonin attenuated arsenite-induced elevations in activating transcription factor-4, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) homologues protein, X-bon binding protein (XBP-1) and cytosolic immunoglobulin binding protein (BIP) as well as reductions in procaspase 12 levels. Moreover, aggregation of alpha-synuclein was reduced in the arsenite-infused SN of melatonin-treated rats. Our in vitro data showed that melatonin ameliorated arsenite-induced lipid peroxidation. Taken together, our data suggest that melatonin is neuroprotective against arsenite-induced oxidative injury in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system of rat brain. Furthermore, the neuroprotective effects by melatonin on arsenite-induced apoptosis were mediated via inhibiting both mitochondrial and ER pathways. Accordingly, melatonin may be therapeutically useful for the treatment of arsenite-induced apoptosis in central nervous system.
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PMID:Melatonin attenuates arsenite-induced apoptosis in rat brain: involvement of mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum pathways and aggregation of alpha-synuclein. 1764 94

Thimerosal is a mercury-containing preservative in some vaccines. The effect of thimerosal on human gastric cancer cells is unknown. This study shows that in cultured human gastric cancer cells (SCM1), thimerosal reduced cell viability in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Thimerosal caused apoptosis as assessed by propidium iodide-stained cells and caspase-3 activation. Although immunoblotting data revealed that thimerosal could activate the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun NH2-terminal protein kinase, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), only SB203580 (a p38 MAPK inhibitor) partially prevented cells from apoptosis. Thimerosal also induced [Ca2+](i) increases via Ca2+ influx from the extracellular space. However, pretreatment with (bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate)/AM, a Ca2+ chelator, to prevent thimerosal-induced [Ca2+](i) increases did not protect cells from death. The results suggest that in SCM1 cells, thimerosal caused Ca2+-independent apoptosis via phosphorylating p38 MAPK resulting in caspase-3 activation.
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PMID:Thimerosal-induced apoptosis in human SCM1 gastric cancer cells: activation of p38 MAP kinase and caspase-3 pathways without involvement of [Ca2+]i elevation. 1769 13


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