Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound   Target Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound

---

Query: EC:3.4.22.56 (caspase-3)
35,750 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Inhibitors of interleukin-1beta converting enzyme (ICE) and a related group of cysteine aspartases of the ICE/ced-3 family inhibit cell death in a variety of settings, including in PC12 cells and sympathetic neurons following withdrawal of trophic support. To assess the particular member(s) of the ICE/ced-3 family that are relevant to cell death and to position their activation within the apoptotic pathway, we have used specific substrates to measure ICE-like and CPP32-like enzymatic activity in naive and neuronally differentiated PC12 cells that had been deprived of trophic support (nerve growth factor and/or serum). Rapid induction of CPP32-like, but not ICE-like, activity was observed. c-Jun kinase activation and the action of bcl-2 and other survival agents, such as cell cycle blockers, a NO generator, N-acetylcysteine, aurintricarboxylic acid, and actinomycin D occurred at a point further upstream in the apoptotic pathway compared with the aspartase activation. In living cells, zVAD-FMK, a pseudosubstrate aspartase inhibitor, blocked the activity/activation of the aspartase at concentrations about one order of magnitude lower than those required to promote survival, raising the possibility that the CPP32-like aspartase is not the main death effector in this model.
...
PMID:Induction of CPP32-like activity in PC12 cells by withdrawal of trophic support. Dissociation from apoptosis. 894 42

Dissociated cerebellar granule cells maintained in medium containing 25 mM potassium undergo an apoptotic death when switched to medium with 5 mM potassium. Granule cells from mice in which Bax, a proapoptotic Bcl-2 family member, had been deleted, did not undergo apoptosis in 5 mM potassium, yet did undergo an excitotoxic cell death in response to stimulation with 30 or 100 microM NMDA. Within 2 h after switching to 5 mM K+, both wild-type and Bax-deficient granule cells decreased glucose uptake to <20% of control. Protein synthesis also decreased rapidly in both wild-type and Bax-deficient granule cells to 50% of control within 12 h after switching to 5 mM potassium. Both wild-type and Bax -/- neurons increased mRNA levels of c-jun, and caspase 3 (CPP32) and increased phosphorylation of the transactivation domain of c-Jun after K+ deprivation. Wild-type granule cells in 5 mM K+ increased cleavage of DEVD-aminomethylcoumarin (DEVD-AMC), a fluorogenic substrate for caspases 2, 3, and 7; in contrast, Bax-deficient granule cells did not cleave DEVD-AMC. These results place BAX downstream of metabolic changes, changes in mRNA levels, and increased phosphorylation of c-Jun, yet upstream of the activation of caspases and indicate that BAX is required for apoptotic, but not excitotoxic, cell death. In wild-type cells, Boc-Asp-FMK and ZVAD-FMK, general inhibitors of caspases, blocked cleavage of DEVD-AMC and blocked the increase in TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) positivity. However, these inhibitors had only a marginal effect on preventing cell death, suggesting a caspase-independent death pathway downstream of BAX in cerebellar granule cells.
...
PMID:Bax deletion further orders the cell death pathway in cerebellar granule cells and suggests a caspase-independent pathway to cell death. 931 40

Several recently identified intracellular proteins associate with the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor and activate nuclear transcription factor (NF)-kappaB, c-Jun kinase, and apoptosis. However, the mechanism is not understood. In the present report, we investigated the role of reactive oxygen intermediates in TNF-induced signaling. Overexpression of manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells completely abolished TNF-mediated NF-kappaB activation, IkappaB alpha degradation, p65 nuclear translocation, and NF-kappaB-dependent reporter gene expression. Besides TNF, phorbol ester-, okadaic acid-, ceramide-, and lipopolysaccharide-induced activation of NF-kappaB was blocked by Mn-SOD, indicating a common pathway of activation. H2O2-induced NF-kappaB activation, however, was potentiated. In addition, Mn-SOD blocked the TNF-mediated activation of activated protein-1, stress-activated c-Jun protein kinase, and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase. TNF-induced antiproliferative effects and caspase-3 activation, indicators of apoptosis, were also completely suppressed by transfection of cells with Mn-SOD. Suppression of apoptosis induced by okadaic acid, H2O2, and taxol was also inhibited by Mn-SOD but not that induced by vincristine, vinblastine, or daunomycin. Overall, these results demonstrate that, in addition to several recently identified signaling molecules, reactive oxygen intermediates play a critical role in activation of NF-kappaB, activated protein-1, c-Jun kinase, and apoptosis induced by TNF and other agents.
...
PMID:Overexpression of manganese superoxide dismutase suppresses tumor necrosis factor-induced apoptosis and activation of nuclear transcription factor-kappaB and activated protein-1. 958 69

Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a prototype of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), is a potent procarcinogen generated during the combustion of fossil fuels and cigarette smoke. In addition to the carcinogenic and mutagenic effects, BaP and other PAHs, including 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo[p]dioxin, have been shown to induce programmed cell death or apoptosis. However, the molecular mechanisms by which PAHs such as BaP induce apoptosis are not clear. To investigate the molecular events leading to apoptosis induced by BaP, we studied the involvement of the interleukin 1beta-converting enzyme (ICE)/Ced-3 family of proteases (caspases) and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1), which have been shown to mediate numerous extracellular stimuli-induced apoptosis. On treatment of mouse Hepa 1c1c7 hepatoma cells with BaP, the induction of apoptosis, as determined by genome digestion, was observed at concentrations of 1-30 microM after 24 h of treatments. Importantly, at the apoptosis-inducing concentrations, BaP also induced the activation of an ICE/Ced-3 cysteine protease caspase-3 but not caspase-1 (ICE). The activation of caspase-3 by BaP preceded apoptosis. Furthermore, a specific inhibitor of caspase-3-like proteases, acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-aldehyde, significantly blocked caspase-3 activity and attenuated apoptosis induced by BaP. Treatment with BaP also caused a time- and dose-dependent activation of JNK1 activity. Interestingly, a much lower concentration (5 nM), as well as much earlier kinetics, were observed in JNK1 activation as compared with caspase-3 activation or induction of apoptosis by BaP. In summary, our results demonstrate that BaP induced apoptosis in the mouse hepatoma Hepa1c1c7 cell line via a caspase-dependent pathway, which may be independent of JNK activation.
...
PMID:Induction of apoptosis and activation of interleukin 1beta-converting enzyme/Ced-3 protease (caspase-3) and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase 1 by benzo(a)pyrene. 960 52

IL-13 is known to suppress the production of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF. Whether IL-13 also modulates the biologic effects of TNF is not known. In the present report we examined the effect of IL-13 on TNF-induced activation of nuclear transcription factors NF-kappa B and activation protein-1 (AP-1) and apoptosis. Pretreatment of cells with IL-13 blocked TNF-induced NF-kappa B activation, nuclear translocation of p65 subunit, and degradation of I kappa B alpha. IL-13 also inhibited NF-kappa B activation by LPS, okadaic acid, H2O2, and ceramide. TNF-induced NF-kappa B-dependent gene transcription was also blocked by IL-13. TNF-induced activation of another nuclear transcription factor, AP-1, was suppressed by IL-13. The activation of N-terminal c-Jun kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase, implicated in the regulation of AP-1 and NF-kappa B, was also down-regulated by IL-13. TNF-mediated cytotoxicity and activation of caspase-3 were abolished by IL-13. The inhibitory effects of IL-13 on TNF were sensitive to H-7, neomycin, and wortmannin, suggesting that the pathway consisting of protein kinase C, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and phospholipase C must be involved in IL-13 signaling. Thus, overall, these results demonstrate that IL-13 is a potent inhibitor of TNF-mediated activation of NF-kappa B, AP-1, and apoptosis, which may contribute to its previously described immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects.
...
PMID:IL-13 suppresses TNF-induced activation of nuclear factor-kappa B, activation protein-1, and apoptosis. 974 47

Molecular mechanisms of neuronal cell death are still largely unknown. In the present study, the signal transduction pathway of cell death in cerebellar granule neurons was examined by employing various death-preventative agents. When death was induced by the depletion of serum and a depolarizing level of potassium, transient increase in active c-Jun, mitochondrial membrane potential (deltapsi) loss, activation of caspase-3 (-like) proteases, and nuclear condensation and fragmentation were observed. The protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide blocked all these phenomena, whereas RNA synthesis inhibitor actinomycin-D, survival factor such as insulin-like growth factor-1, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, high K+ (25 mM) and overproduced antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2, prevented deltapsi, loss, caspase activation, and nuclear change, but not an increase in active c-Jun. The caspase inhibitor z-Asp-CH2-DCB (carbobenzoxy-L-aspartyl-alpha-[(2,6-dichlorobenzoyl) oxy]methane) only inhibited activation of caspases and nuclear change. These results suggest that the death signal in cerebellar granule neurons is sequentially transduced in the order of c-Jun activation, de novo RNA synthesis, mitochondrial deltapsi loss, activation of caspase-3 (-like) proteases and nuclear change.
...
PMID:Death-signalling cascade in mouse cerebellar granule neurons. 974 94

TL1 is a recently discovered novel member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) cytokine family. TL1 is abundantly expressed in endothelial cells, but its function is not known. The present study was undertaken to explore whether TL1 induces apoptosis in endothelial cells and, if so, to explore its mechanism of action. Cultured bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells (BPAEC) exposed to TL1 showed morphological (including ultrastructural) and biochemical features characteristic of apoptosis. TL1-induced apoptosis in BPAEC was a time- and concentration-dependent process (EC50 = 72 ng/ml). The effect of TL1 was not inhibited by soluble TNF receptors 1 or 2. TL1 up-regulated Fas expression in BPAEC at 8 and 24 h after treatment, and significantly activated stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK). The peak activities of SAPK and p38 MAPK in TL1-treated BPAEC were increased by 9- and 4-fold, respectively. TL1-induced apoptosis in the BPAEC was reduced by expression of a dominant-interfering mutant of c-Jun (62.8%, p < 0.05) or by a specific p38 inhibitor, SB203580 (1-10 microM) dose-dependently. TL1 also activated caspases in BPAEC, and TL1-induced apoptosis in BPAEC was significantly attenuated by the caspase inhibitor, ZVAD-fluromethyl-ketone. The major component activated by TL1 in BPAEC was caspase-3, which was based on substrate specificity and immunocytochemical analysis. These findings suggest that TL1 may act as an autocrine factor to induce apoptosis in endothelial cells via activation of multiple signaling pathways, including stress protein kinases as well as certain caspases.
...
PMID:TL1, a novel tumor necrosis factor-like cytokine, induces apoptosis in endothelial cells. Involvement of activation of stress protein kinases (stress-activated protein kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase) and caspase-3-like protease. 988 May 23

Beta-lapachone (beta-Lap) has been found to inhibit DNA topoisomerases (Topos) by a mechanism distinct from that of other commonly known Topo inhibitors. Here, we demonstrated a pronounced elevation of H2O2 and O2- in human leukemia HL-60 cells treated with beta-Lap. Treatment with other Topo poisons, such as camptothecin (CPT), Vbeta-16, and GL331, did not have the same effect. On the other hand, antioxidant vitamin C (Vit C) treatment effectively antagonized beta-Lap-induced apoptosis. This suggested that a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related pathway was involved in beta-Lap-induced apoptosis program. We also found that c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) but not p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase or extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 was persistently activated in apoptosis induced by beta-Lap. Overexpression of a dominant-negative mutant mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 1 (MEKK1-DN) or treatment with JNK-specific antisense oligonucleotide or Vit C all prevented beta-Lap-induced JNK activation and the subsequent apoptosis. Only the expression of MEKK1-DN, not Vit C treatment, blocked the JNK activity induced by CPT, Vbeta-16, or GL331. These results confirm again that ROS acts as a mediator for JNK activation during beta-Lap-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, we found that beta-Lap can stimulate CPP32/Yama activity, which was, however, markedly inhibited by the MEKK1-DN expression or Vit C treatment. Again, CPT-induced CPP32/Yama activation can be abolished by MEKK1-DN but not by Vit C treatment. Taken together, these results indicate that beta-Lap but not other Topo inhibitors triggers apoptosis signaling, i.e., JNK and subsequent CPP32/Yama activation are mediated by the generation of ROS.
...
PMID:Activation of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase and subsequent CPP32/Yama during topoisomerase inhibitor beta-lapachone-induced apoptosis through an oxidation-dependent pathway. 992 52

Apoptosis was induced in human glioma cell lines by exposure to 100 nM calphostin C, a specific inhibitor of protein kinase C. Calphostin C-induced apoptosis was associated with synchronous down-regulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL as well as activation of caspase-3 but not caspase-1. The exposure to calphostin C led to activation of stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK) and p38 kinase and concurrent inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Upstream of ERK, Shc was shown to be activated, but its downstream Raf1 and ERK were inhibited. The pretreatment with acetyl-Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp-aldehyde, a relatively selective inhibitor of caspase-3, or benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone (z-VAD.fmk), a broad spectrum caspase inhibitor, similarly inhibited calphostin C-induced activation of SAPK/JNK and p38 kinase as well as apoptotic nuclear damages (chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation) and cell shrinkage, suggesting that caspase-3 functions upstream of SAPK/JNK and p38 kinase, but did not block calphostin C-induced surface blebbing and cell death. On the other hand, the inhibition of SAPK/JNK by transfection of dominant negative SAPK/JNK and that of p38 kinase by SB203580 induced similar effects on the calphostin C-induced apoptotic phenotypes and cell death as did z-VAD.fmk and acetyl-Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp-aldehyde, but the calphostin C-induced PARP cleavage was not changed, suggesting that SAPK/JNK and p38 kinase are involved in the DNA fragmentation pathway downstream of caspase-3. The present findings suggest, therefore, that the activation of SAPK/JNK and p38 kinase is dispensable for calphostin C-mediated and z-VAD.fmk-resistant cell death.
...
PMID:Activation of stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase and p38 kinase in calphostin C-induced apoptosis requires caspase-3-like proteases but is dispensable for cell death. 1002 38

The inflammatory mediator nitric oxide (NO*) promotes apoptotic cell death based on morphological evidence, accumulation of the tumor suppressor p53, caspase-3 activation, and DNA fragmentation in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Since nitrosothiols may actually be the predominant form of biologically active NO* in vivo, we used S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) to study activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases1/2 (ERK1/2), c-Jun N-terminal kinases/stress-activated protein kinases (JNK1/2), and p38 kinases. Moreover, we determined the role of mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling in the apoptotic transducing ability of GSNO. ERK1/2 became activated in response to GSNO after 4 h and remained active for the next 20 h. Blocking the ERK1/2 pathway by the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor PD 98059 enhanced GSNO-elicited apoptosis. p38 was activated as well, but inhibition of p38 with SB 203580 left apoptosis unaltered. Activation of JNK1/2 by GSNO showed maximal kinase activities between 2 and 8 h. Attenuating JNK1/2 by antisense-depletion eliminated the pro-apoptotic action of low GSNO concentrations (250 microM), whereas apoptosis proceeded independently of JNK1/2 at higher doses of the NO donor (500 microM). Decreased apoptosis by JNK1/2 depletion prevented p53 accumulation after the addition of GSNO, which positions JNK1/2 upstream of the p53 response at low agonist concentrations. In line, JNK1/2 activation proceeded unaltered in p53-antisense transfected macrophages. However, with higher GSNO concentrations apoptotic transducing pathways, including p53 accumulation, were JNK1/2 unrelated. The regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinases by GSNO may help to define cell protective and destructive actions of reactive nitrogen species.
...
PMID:Role of mitogen-activated protein kinases in S-nitrosoglutathione-induced macrophage apoptosis. 1002 20


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>

---