Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.22.61 (caspase-8)
 6,833 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Verotoxin (VT-1) is a cytotoxin, produced by Shigella dysenteriae type 1 or by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, which binds specifically to globotriaosylceramide (Gb3). This glycosphingolipid is a B cell differentiation antigen (Gb3/CD77) strongly expressed on Burkitt's lymphoma cells. We have previously shown that, in these cells, VT-1 induces apoptosis via a caspase- and mitochondria-dependent pathway. In this report, we provide new insights into this signal transduction pathway. First, we demonstrate that VT-1-induced apoptosis requires degradation of the caspase-8 inhibitory molecule c-FLIPL and that this degradation occurs through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Furthermore, we show that mitochondrial activation is mainly due to i) cleavage and activation of the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member Bid by caspase-8 and ii) Bax relocalization to mitochondrial membranes which lead to cytochrome c release. However, tBid is not involved in Bax relocalization, and relocalization is most likely controlled by the extent of Bax phosphorylation: in non-treated BL cells, p38 MAPK participates in the retention of Bax in the cytoplasm in an inactive form whereas in VT-1 treated cells, protein phosphatase 2A is activated and induces Bax relocalization to mitochondria.
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PMID:Caspase-8-mediated cleavage of Bid and protein phosphatase 2A-mediated activation of Bax are necessary for Verotoxin-1-induced apoptosis in Burkitt's lymphoma cells. 1989 84

The globotriaosylceramide Gb3 is a glycosphingolipid expressed on a subpopulation of germinal center B lymphocytes which has been recognized as the B cell differentiation antigen CD77. Among tumoral cell types, Gb3/CD77 is strongly expressed in Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cells as well as other solid tumors including breast, testicular and ovarian carcinomas. One known ligand of Gb3/CD77 is Verotoxin-1 (VT-1), a Shiga toxin produced in specific E. coli strains. Previously, we have reported that in BL cells, VT-1 induces apoptosis via a caspase-dependent and mitochondria-dependent pathway. Yet, the respective roles of various apoptogenic factors remained to be deciphered. Here, this apoptotic pathway was found to require cleavage of the BID protein by caspase-8 as well as activation of two other apoptogenic proteins, BAK and BAX. Surprisingly however, t-BID, the truncated form of BID resulting from caspase-8 cleavage, played no role in the conformational changes of BAK and BAX. Rather, their activation occurred under the control of full length BID (FL-BID). Indeed, introducing a non-cleavable form of BID (BID-D59A) into BID-deficient BL cells restored BAK and BAX activation following VT-1 treatment. Still, t-BID was involved along with FL-BID in the BAK-dependent and BAX-dependent cytosolic release of CYT C and SMAC/DIABLO from the mitochondrial intermembrane space: FL-BID was found to control the homo-oligomerization of both BAK and BAX, likely contributing to the initial release of CYT C and SMAC/DIABLO, while t-BID was needed for their hetero-oligomerization and ensuing release amplification. Together, our results reveal a functional cooperation between BAK and BAX during VT-1-induced apoptosis and, unexpectedly, that activation of caspase-8 and production of t-BID were not mandatory for initiation of the cell death process.
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PMID:Differential role of FL-BID and t-BID during verotoxin-1-induced apoptosis in Burkitt's lymphoma cells. 2944 Jul 8