Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:4.1.1.6 (CAD)
 4,420 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Caspase-3 initiates apoptotic DNA fragmentation by proteolytically inactivating DFF45 (DNA fragmentation factor-45)/ICAD (inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase), which releases active DFF40/CAD (caspase-activated DNase), the inhibitor's associated endonuclease. Here, we examined whether other apoptotic proteinases initiated DNA fragmentation via DFF45/ICAD inactivation. In a cell-free assay, caspases-3, -6, -7, -8, and granzyme B initiated benzoyloxycarbonyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp (DEVD) cleaving caspase activity, DFF45/ICAD inactivation, and DNA fragmentation, but calpain and cathepsin D failed to initiate these events. Strikingly, only the DEVD cleaving caspases, caspase-3 and caspase-7, inactivated DFF45/ICAD and promoted DNA fragmentation in an in vitro DFF40/CAD assay, suggesting that granzyme B, caspase-6, and caspase-8 promote DFF45/ICAD inactivation and DNA fragmentation indirectly by activating caspase-3 and/or caspase-7. In vitro, however, caspase-3 inactivated DFF45/ICAD and promoted DNA fragmentation more effectively than caspase-7 and endogenous levels of caspase-7 failed to inactivate DFF45/ICAD in caspase-3 null MCF7 cells and extracts. Together, these data suggest that caspase-3 is the primary inactivator of DFF45/ICAD and therefore the primary activator of apoptotic DNA fragmentation.
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PMID:Caspase-3 is the primary activator of apoptotic DNA fragmentation via DNA fragmentation factor-45/inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase inactivation. 1052 51

Granzyme B (GzmB) is a component of cytotoxic lymphocyte granules that can rapidly initiate apoptosis in target cells. While several procaspases are cleaved and activated by GzmB, the absolute requirement of caspase activation for GzmB-induced apoptosis is controversial. In this report, we demonstrate that GzmB can initiate apoptosis in the absence of caspase-3 activity by directly cleaving DFF45/ICAD to liberate activated DFF40/CAD. DFF45/ICAD cleavage occurs less efficiently in cells that lack caspase-3 activity, suggesting that the caspases normally amplify the GzmB death signal. DFF45/ICAD-deficient mouse embryo fibroblasts are partially resistant to GzmB-induced death, demonstrating the biological importance of DFF45/ICAD for GzmB-mediated apoptosis.
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PMID:DFF45/ICAD can be directly processed by granzyme B during the induction of apoptosis. 1089 62

Although the functions of granzymes A and B have been defined, the functions of the other highly expressed granzymes (Gzms) of murine cytotoxic lymphocytes (C, D, and F) have not yet been evaluated. In this report, we describe the ability of murine GzmC (which is most closely related to human granzyme H) to cause cell death. The induction of death requires its protease activity and is characterized by the rapid externalization of phosphatidylserine, nuclear condensation and collapse, and single-stranded DNA nicking. The kinetics of these events are similar to those caused by granzyme B, and its potency (defined on a molar basis) is also equivalent. The induction of death did not involve the activation of caspases, the cleavage of BID, or the activation of the CAD nuclease. However, granzyme C did cause rapid mitochondrial swelling and depolarization in intact cells or in isolated mitochondria, and this mitochondrial damage was not prevented by cyclosporin A pretreatment. These results suggest that granzyme C rapidly induces target cell death by attacking nuclear and mitochondrial targets and that these targets are distinct from those used by granzyme B to cause classical apoptosis.
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PMID:Cell death induced by granzyme C. 1251 23

Cell-free systems have been instrumental in the identification of several important components of the cell death machinery such as cytochrome c, APAF-1, ICAD/CAD (DFF45/DFF40) and Smac/Diablo. Such systems have also proved invaluable for the detailed analysis of caspase activation mechanisms, caspase activation cascades, proteolysis of caspase substrates, apoptosis-associated chromatin condensation and internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. Here, we describe a cell-free system that we have used routinely in our laboratory for the analysis of caspase activation and associated events. Caspase activation in this system can be triggered either through assembly of the APAF-1 apoptosome by addition of cytochrome c/dATP, or alternatively, by addition of the cytotoxic lymphocyte protease, granzyme B. In both cases, the order of caspase activation events has been established and the relative importance of individual caspases to apoptosis-associated nuclear events, as well as substrate proteolysis, is known. Cell-free systems are therefore very useful for screening potential caspase-inhibitory compounds or other agents that may positively or negatively affect caspase-dependent events in apoptosis.
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PMID:Analysis of apoptosis in cell-free systems. 1831 59