Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.4.22.62 (caspase-9)
7,507 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Apoptosis induction may be a mechanism mediating the anticancer activity of selenium. Our earlier work indicated that distinct cell death pathways are likely involved in apoptosis induced by the CH3SeH and the hydrogen selenide pools of selenium metabolites. To explore the role of caspases in cancer cell apoptosis induced by selenium, we examined the involvement of these molecules in the death of the DU-145 human prostate carcinoma cells induced by methylseleninic acid (MSeA), a novel penultimate precursor of the putative critical anticancer metabolite CH3SeH. Sodium selenite, a representative of the genotoxic selenium pool, was used as a reference for comparison. The results show that MSeA-induced apoptosis was accompanied by the activation of multiple caspases (caspase-3, -7, -8, and -9), mitochondrial release of cytochrome c (CC), poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage, and DNA fragmentation. In contrast, selenite-induced apoptotic DNA fragmentation was observed in the absence of these changes, but was associated with the phosphorylation of c-Jun-NH2-terminal kinase 1/2 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase/stress-activated protein kinase 2. A general caspase inhibitor, benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-(OMe) fluoromethyl ketone, blocked MSeA-induced cleavage of procaspases and PARP, CC release, and DNA nucleosomal fragmentation, but did not prevent cell detachment. Furthermore, PARP cleavage and caspase activation were confined exclusively to detached cells, indicating that MSeA induction of cell detachment was a prerequisite for caspase activation and apoptosis execution. This process therefore resembled "anoikis," a special mode of apoptosis induction in which adherent cells lose contact with the extracellular matrix. Additional experiments with irreversible caspase inhibitors show that MSeA-induced anoikis involved caspase-3- and -7-mediated PARP cleavage that was initiated by caspase-8 and probably amplified through CC-caspase-9 activation and a feedback activation loop from caspase-3. Taken together, the data support a methyl selenium-specific induction of DU-145 cell apoptosis that involves cell detachment as a prerequisite (anoikis) and is executed principally through caspase-8 activation and its cross-talk with multiple caspases.
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PMID:Caspases as key executors of methyl selenium-induced apoptosis (anoikis) of DU-145 prostate cancer cells. 1130 88

Recent studies have implicated apoptosis as one of the most plausible mechanisms of the chemopreventive effects of selenium compounds, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) as important mediators in apoptosis induced by various stimuli. In the present study, we demonstrate that Se-methylselenocysteine (MSC), one of the most effective selenium compounds at chemoprevention, induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells and that ROS plays a crucial role in MSC-induced apoptosis. The uptake of MSC by HL-60 cells occurred quite early, reaching the maximum within 1 h. The dose-dependent decrease in cell viability was observed by MSC treatment and was coincident with increased DNA fragmentation and sub-G(1) population. 50 microM of MSC was able to induce apoptosis in 48% of cell population at a 24 h time point. Moreover, the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9 were also observed. The measurement of ROS by dichlorofluorescein fluorescence revealed that dose- and time-dependent increase in ROS was induced by MSC. N-acetylcysteine, glutathione, and deferoxamine blocked cell death, DNA fragmentation, and ROS generation induced by MSC. Moreover, N-acetylcysteine effectively blocked caspase-3 activation and the increase of the sub-G(1) population induced by MSC. These results imply that ROS is a critical mediator of the MSC-induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells.
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PMID:Se-methylselenocysteine induces apoptosis mediated by reactive oxygen species in HL-60 cells. 1149 81

The relationship between selenium and signal molecules has not been well elucidated. It was found that physiological concentration of selenite, 3 microM, reduced ASK1 activity and induced PI3-kinase (PI3-K)/Akt pathways in HT1080 cells. Duration of these signal molecules by selenite was much longer than that by growth factors and other stresses. The longer duration time of these signal molecules may be important to maintain normal functions against stresses. Selenite increased cell proliferation through up-regulation of Bcl-2 expression, mitochondrial membrane potential, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) generation, and glucose uptake mediated by PI3-K pathway. High concentration of H2O2 increased an apoptotic signal molecule, ASK1, which resulted in Bcl-2 down-regulation, membrane potential disruption, decreased ATP and glucose uptake, and activation of caspases. However, an antiapoptotic signal molecule, Akt, was activated also by H2O2, but duration of its activation was much shorter. Selenite blocked apoptosis induced by H2O2, which was related to blocking ASK1 and further stimulating PI3-kinase/Akt activities. Selenite blocked mitochondrial membrane potential disruption by 400 mM H2O2. Selenite also blocked caspase-9 and -3 activities and apoptosis induced by 500 microM H2O2, even after mitochondrial membrane potential disruption. These observations demonstrate that selenite increases cell proliferation and maintains cell survival by activating the antiapoptotic signal and blocking the apoptotic signal.
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PMID:Selenite suppresses hydrogen peroxide-induced cell apoptosis through inhibition of ASK1/JNK and activation of PI3-K/Akt pathways. 1170 94

The ongoing Selenium and Vitamin E Chemoprevention Trial is designed to evaluate the efficacy of these two agents, either individually or in combination, in reducing the incidence of prostate cancer in healthy men over 55 years of age. Little information, however, is available on the potential synergy between vitamin E and selenium in chemoprevention. The present study was aimed at addressing this gap of knowledge with the use of the androgen-unresponsive, p53-null, PC-3 human prostate cancer cell line. The growth-inhibitory activity of vitamin E appeared to be dependent on the chemical form. In our hands, D-alpha-tocopheryl succinate (VES) was much more potent than either DL-alpha-tocopherol or D-alpha-tocopheryl acetate. Combining VES with methylseleninic acid (MSA), a selenium metabolite, produced a synergistic effect on cell growth suppression. The synergy was accounted for primarily by an augmented apoptotic response. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage and activation of specific caspases were confirmed by Western blot analysis. The caspases that were commonly modulated by either VES or MSA included initiator caspases-8 and -10, as well as executioner caspases-3, -6, and -7. In contrast, caspase-9 was activated only by VES, whereas caspases-1 and -12 were activated only by MSA. Based on the above information, it is proposed that the mitochondrial pathway and the endoplasmic reticulum stress/cytokine signaling pathway might be involved in apoptosis induction by VES and MSA, respectively. These two pathways may act in a cooperative manner to switch on the full force of the apoptotic machinery when cells are treated with both VES and MSA.
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PMID:Synergy between selenium and vitamin E in apoptosis induction is associated with activation of distinctive initiator caspases in human prostate cancer cells. 1458 1

The issue of p53 requirement for the caspase-mediated apoptosis induced by selenium in a cancer chemoprevention or chemotherapy context has not been critically addressed. We and others have shown that selenite induces apoptotic DNA laddering in the p53-mutant DU145 prostate cancer cells and the p53-null HL60 leukemia cells without the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP; i.e., caspase-independent apoptosis), whereas selenium compounds leading to the formation of methylselenol induce caspase-mediated apoptosis in these cells. Because selenite induces DNA single strand breaks, and because certain types of DNA damage activate p53, we investigated whether the human LNCaP prostate cancer cells, which contain a wild-type p53, execute selenite-induced apoptosis through caspase pathways. The results showed that exposure of LNCaP cells for 24 hours to lower micromolar concentrations of selenite led to DNA laddering, and to the cleavage of PARP and several pro-caspases. In contrast to this apoptosis sensitivity, LNCaP cells were rather resistant to similar concentrations of the methylselenol precursor methylseleninic acid. Selenite treatment led to a significant increase in p53 phosphorylation on Ser-15 (Ser15P). Time course experiments showed that p53 Ser15P occurred several hours before caspase activation and PARP cleavage. The general caspase inhibitor zVADfmk completely blocked PARP cleavage, and significantly decreased DNA laddering, but did not affect p53 Ser15P. An inhibitor for caspase-8 was equally as protective as that for caspase-9 against the selenite-induced apoptosis. Attenuating p53 by a chemical inhibitor pifithrin-alpha decreased the selenite-induced p53 Ser15P and led to concordant reductions of PARP cleavage and apoptosis. In summary, selenite-induced p53 Ser15P appeared to be important for activating the caspase-mediated apoptosis involving both the caspase-8 and the caspase-9 pathways in the LNCaP cells.
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PMID:Selenite-induced p53 Ser-15 phosphorylation and caspase-mediated apoptosis in LNCaP human prostate cancer cells. 1525 49

Methylselenol has been implicated as an active metabolite for the anticancer effect of selenium in part through the induction of cancer cell apoptosis. Since inactivation of the AKT/protein kinase B negative regulator gene PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10) is common in prostate cancer (PCa), we compared PTEN wild-type DU145 PCa cells (low basal AKT activity) with PTEN-mutant LNCaP PCa cells (high basal AKT activity) for their apoptosis responses to the methylselenol precursor methylseleninic acid (MSeA) and sodium selenite, an inorganic salt. Our results show that LNCaP cells withstood approximately 4 times higher doses of MSeA than DU145 cells, although they were slightly more sensitive than the latter to selenite-induced apoptosis. Treatment by MSeA modestly attenuated AKT phosphorylation and increased phospho-ERK1/2 in LNCaP cells. Selenite treatment increased the phosphorylation of p53 Ser15 and both kinases, but the selenite-induced apoptosis was not influenced by chemical inhibitors of either kinase. In contrast, PI3K/AKT inhibitors greatly sensitized LNCaP cells to apoptosis induced by MSeA, accompanied by increased mitochondrial release of cytochrome c and multiple caspase activation without changing p53 Ser15 phosphorylation. The apoptosis was further accentuated by extracellular signal regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) inhibition without further increase in cytochrome c release. The general caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk completely blocked MSeA-induced apoptosis when both kinases were inhibited, whereas a caspase-8 inhibitor exerted a greater protection than did a caspase-9 inhibitor. Transfection of DU145 cells with a constitutively active AKT increased their resistance to MSeA-induced apoptosis. In summary, AKT played an important role in regulating apoptosis sensitivity of LNCaP and DU145 cells to MSeA. An MSeA-induced activation of ERK1/2 in LNCaP cells also contributed to resistance to apoptosis. However, these kinases did not significantly regulate caspase-mediated apoptosis induced by selenite in LNCaP cells. These findings support the differential involvement of these protein kinase pathways in regulating apoptosis induction by different forms of selenium.
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PMID:PKB/AKT and ERK regulation of caspase-mediated apoptosis by methylseleninic acid in LNCaP prostate cancer cells. 1584 51

Oxidant stress plays an important role in the etiology of vascular diseases by increasing rates of endothelial cell apoptosis, but few data exist on the mechanisms involved. Using a unique model of oxidative stress based on selenium deficiency (-Se), the effects of altered eicosanoid production on bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) apoptosis was evaluated. Oxidant stress significantly increased the immediate oxygenation product of arachidonic acid metabolized by the 15-lipoxygenase pathway, 15-hydroxyperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HPETE). Treatment of -Se BAEC with TNFalpha/cyclohexamide (CHX) exhibited elevated levels of apoptosis, which was significantly reduced by the addition of a specific 15-lipoxygenase inhibitor PD146176. Furthermore, the addition of 15-HPETE to PD146176-treated BAEC, partially restored TNF/CHX-induced apoptosis. Increased exposure to 15-HPETE induced apoptosis, as determined by internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, chromatin condensation, caspase-3 activation, and caspase-9 activation, which suggests mitochondrial dysfunction. The expression of Bcl-2 protein also was decreased in -Se BAEC. Addition of a caspase-9 inhibitor (LEHD-fmk) completely blocked 15-HPETE-induced chromatin condensation in -Se BAEC, suggesting that 15-HPETE-induced apoptosis is caspase-9 dependent. Increased apoptosis of BAEC as a result of oxidant stress and subsequent production of 15-HPETE may play a critical role in a variety of inflammatory based diseases.
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PMID:Enhanced 15-HPETE production during oxidant stress induces apoptosis of endothelial cells. 1596 59

Selenium (Se) is a very effective anti-cancer agent. We studied the effects of inorganic Se compounds on induction of apoptosis by which Se compounds exert cancer chemopreventive activity. With the use of HSC-3 human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells, the present study showed that treatment with Se for 72 h, in the form of SeO2 and Na2SeO3, but not Na2SeO4, markedly induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment of HSC-3 cells with 100 microM SeO2 resulted in the caspase-3-like and -9-like activation. Se compounds induced a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsim), but did not induce the generation of reactive oxygen species. Treatment with SeO2 for 18 h resulted in 80% loss of reduced glutathione (GSH), which is known to be involved in the metabolism of Se. Treatment with N-acetyl-L-cysteine, or exogenous GSH, prevented the SeO2-induced apoptosis. Treatment with GSH led to the partial reverse in reduction of DeltaPsim caused by SeO2, while buthionine sulfoximine augmented the SeO2- or Na2SeO3-induced apoptosis. These results suggest that modulation of the mitochondrial redox equilibrium by Se contributes to the mitochondrial pathway, regulating caspase-9-mediated apoptosis without a concurrent increase in ROS.
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PMID:Possible role of glutathione in mitochondrial apoptosis of human oral squamous cell carcinoma caused by inorganic selenium compounds. 1601 Apr 32

Sulforaphane (SFN) is a major isothiocyanate compound in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. Preclinical animal models have recently shown that SFN and other isothiocyanates may be useful for prostrate cancer (PCa) chemoprevention. In this study we used a DU145 human PCa cell culture model to investigate the role of protein kinase signaling pathway(s) in SFN-induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis and whether another chemopreventive agent selenium enhances the apoptosis potency of SFN. The results showed that SFN exposure for 24 h or longer significantly decreased the number of viable DU145 cells in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 of asymptotically equal to 10 microM. The decreased cell number was associated with G2/M phase arrest and apoptotic cell death, with the latter being evidenced by caspase-mediated cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and increased release of histone-associated DNA fragments. A peptide inhibitor of caspase-8 completely blocked SFN-induced apoptosis and that for caspase-9 exerted a major protection; however, neither inhibitor attenuated SFN-induced G2/M arrest. Regarding potential mediators, SFN treatment induced a transient rise of reactive oxygen species (ROS) peaking within (1/2) h and the activation of JNK within 1 h but did not have any detectable effect on the phosphorylation of p38MAPK or ERK1/2 from 6 h to 24 h. Pretreatment of cells with N-acetylcysteine to enrich intracellular glutathione blocked SFN-induced ROS and apoptotic cell death. Inhibiting the JNK activity with a pharmacologic inhibitor SP600125 abolished the induction of G2/M arrest and apoptosis by SFN, whereas chemical inhibitors for p38MAPK and MEK1/2 did not have any modulating effect on SFN-induced apoptosis. Taken together, the data indicate that SFN decreased viable DU145 cell number in large part through the generation of ROS and JNK-mediated signaling to G2/M arrest and caspase-dependent apoptosis. Selenium in the form of inorganic sodium selenite salt or methylseleninic acid did not enhance SFN-induced apoptosis in this cell culture model.
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PMID:Involvement of c-Jun N-terminal kinase in G2/M arrest and caspase-mediated apoptosis induced by sulforaphane in DU145 prostate cancer cells. 1620 52

Although the anticancer effects of selenium have been shown in clinical, preclinical, and laboratory studies, the underlying mechanism(s) remains unclear. Our previous study showed that sodium selenite induced LNCaP human prostate cancer cell apoptosis in association with production of reactive oxygen species, alteration of cell redox state, and mitochondrial damage. In the present study, we showed that selenite-induced apoptosis was superoxide mediated and p53 dependent via mitochondrial pathways. In addition, we also showed that superoxide production by selenite was p53 dependent. Our study showed that wild-type p53-expressing LNCaP cells were more sensitive to selenite-induced apoptosis than p53-null PC3 cells. Selenite treatment resulted in high levels of superoxide production in LNCaP cells but only low levels in PC3 cells. LNCaP cells also showed sequential increases in levels of phosphorylated p53 (serine 15), total p53, Bax, and p21(Waf1) proteins following selenite treatment. The effects of selenite were suppressed by pretreatment with a synthetic superoxide dismutase mimic or by knockdown of p53 via RNA interference. LNCaP cells treated with selenite also showed p53 translocation to mitochondria, cytochrome c release into the cytosol, and activation of caspase-9. On the other hand, restoration of wild-type p53 expression in PC3 cells increased cellular sensitivity to selenite and resulted in increased superoxide production, caspase-9 activation, and apoptosis following selenite treatment. These results suggest that selenite induces apoptosis by producing superoxide to activate p53 and to induce p53 mitochondrial translocation. Activation of p53 in turn synergistically enhances superoxide production and apoptosis induced by selenite.
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PMID:Expression of p53 enhances selenite-induced superoxide production and apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells. 1648 34


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