Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:5.99.1.2 (topoisomerase)
 9,166 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Proteasomes and mitochondrial membrane changes are involved in thymocyte apoptosis. The hierarchical relationship between protease activation and mitochondrial alterations has been elusive. Here we show that inhibition of proteasomes by two specific agents, lactacystin or MG132, prevents all manifestations of thymocyte apoptosis induced by the glucocorticoid receptor agonist dexamethasone or by the topoisomerase II inhibitor etoposide. Lactacystin and MG132 prevent the early disruption of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (delta psi(m)), which precedes caspase activation, exposure of phosphatidylserine, and nuclear DNA fragmentation. In contrast, stabilization of the delta psi(m) using the permeability transition pore inhibitor bongkrekic acid or inhibition of caspases by N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone does not prevent the activation of proteasomes, as determined with the fluorogenic substrate N-succinyl-L-leucyl-L-leucyl-L-valyl-L-tyrosine-7-amido-4-methylcoumarin . Thus, proteasome activation occurs upstream from mitochondrial changes and caspase activation. Whereas the proteasome-specific agents lactacystin and MG132 truly maintain thymocyte viability, a number of protease inhibitors that inhibit nuclear DNA fragmentation (acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-fluoromethylketone; N-Boc-Asp(OMe)-fluoromethylketone; N-tosyl-L-Phe-chloromethylketone) do not prevent the cytolysis induced by DEX or etoposide. These latter agents fail to interfere with the preapoptotic delta psi(m) disruption. Altogether, our data indicate that different proteases may be involved in the pre- or postmitochondrial phase of apoptosis. Only those protease inhibitors that interrupt the apoptotic process at the premitochondrial stage can actually preserve cell viability.
 ...
PMID:Proteasome activation occurs at an early, premitochondrial step of thymocyte apoptosis. 964 4

In this study, simultaneous administration of certain inhibitors of topoisomerase I and topoisomerase II produced synergistic cytotoxicity in a series of human glioma cell lines. Camptothecin (CPT) and etoposide (VP-16) produced combination indices (CI) <1.0 in all glioma cell lines tested, including those that were relatively resistant to the two topoisomerase inhibitors individually. In contrast, CPT and VP-16 produced additive cytotoxicity in HT-29 and SW-620 colon carcinoma cell lines. To explore the molecular basis for synergy in glioma cells, we focused on one glioma cell line (U87) in which even sub-cytotoxic doses of CPT potentiated the action of VP-16. Except for genistein (a topo II agent with tyrosine kinase inhibitory function), all topo II inhibitors tested (doxorubicin, ellipticine, and m-AMSA) were synergistic with CPT. While CPT and VP-16 produced cytotoxicity and protein-linked DNA breaks (PLDB) that were supra-additive in U87 glioma cells, CPT and genistein produced additive results. Pretreatment of U87 cells with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor tyrphostin-A23 or the tyrosine phosphatase activator O-phospho-L-tyrosine (OPLT) reduced combination PLDB from synergistic to additive levels, but had no effect on the formation of PLDB induced by either CPT or VP-16 alone. CPT and VP-16 also produced a synergistic accumulation of sub-G0 (apoptotic) cells which was blocked by tyrphostin-A23. No significant increase in topoisomerase protein levels could be detected in response to combination treatment. Thus, synergistic effects between topoisomerase I and topoisomerase II inhibitors in U87 glioma cells may depend upon phosphorylation of cellular proteins other than the topoisomerases themselves.
 ...
PMID:Synergistic cytotoxicity, apoptosis and protein-linked DNA breakage by etoposide and camptothecin in human U87 glioma cells: dependence on tyrosine phosphorylation. 1035 42