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

Cytotoxic drugs currently remain as the basis for the chemotherapy of metastatic cancer. Why they fail to kill sufficient tumour cells in the major human solid cancers, such as the carcinomas, is suggested in this review to be due to the inherent inability of these cells to engage apoptosis after drug-induced damage. As a paradigm for drug resistant cancers, the resistance of bladder carcinoma cell lines to DNA damaging drugs is described here in terms of their response to the topoisomerase II poison etoposide. 60%-70% of bladder carcinomas have mutant p53; this can prevent the detection of and response to DNA damage. In vitro studies with a bladder carcinoma cell line containing a wild type p53 showed that it underwent a G1 checkpoint after etoposide, potentially allowing DNA damage repair, as well as apoptosis. In lines with mutant or non-functional p53 there is no checkpoint and no apoptosis. All lines showed constitutive expression of bcl-2 and bcl-XL (the suppressors of apoptosis) with low and non-inducible levels of bax (a promoter of apoptosis). Taken together, this menu of gene expression is more favourable to survival than apoptosis after the imposition of drug-induced DNA damage and may contribute to their inherent drug resistance.
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PMID:Apoptosis and cancer chemotherapy. 895 Apr 79

In this study, we tested the hypothesis that insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) modulates apoptosis in human breast cancer cells, HBL100, induced by diverse chemotherapeutic drugs. IGF-1 increased cell survival of HBL100 cells treated with 5-fluorouracil (antimetabolite), methotrexate (antimetabolite), tamoxifen (antiestrogen/antiproliferative), or camptothecin (topoisomerase 1 inhibitor) and after serum withdrawal. Elevated cell survival was not due to an increase in cell proliferation by IGF-1, but rather to an inhibition of apoptosis. Evidence for death by apoptosis was supported by cellular morphology and DNA fragmentation. There were no changes observed in Bcl-2 protein or bax mRNA levels. Extracellular matrix (ECM) is known to influence the apoptotic response of cells; therefore, the antiapoptotic effect of IGF-1 on breast cancer cells was examined using different ECMs: laminin, collagen IV, or Matrigel. IGF-1 protected cells from apoptosis induced by methotrexate on all ECMs tested, providing the first evidence that IGF-1 protects against apoptosis in three-dimensional culture systems. These data provide the rationale to search for drugs that lower serum IGF-1 in an effort to improve the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of breast cancer.
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PMID:Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) alters drug sensitivity of HBL100 human breast cancer cells by inhibition of apoptosis induced by diverse anticancer drugs. 920 78

Beta-lapachone and camptothecin are structurally unrelated agents thought to inhibit topoisomerase-I activity through distinct mechanisms. We find that beta-lapachone is much more potent than camptothecin in inducing acute cytotoxic effects on human malignant glioma cells. Acute cytotoxicity induced by both drugs is apoptotic by electron microscopy, but not blocked by inhibitors of RNA or protein synthesis and not associated with changes in the expression of bcl-2, bax, p53, p21 or GADD45 proteins. In contrast, prolonged exposure of glioma cells to both drugs for 72 hr results in growth inhibition and apoptosis, with EC50 values around 1 microM. None of 7 glioma cell lines tested were resistant to either drug. LN-229 cells which have partial p53-wild-type activity show enhanced expression of p53, p21 and bax protein, whereas bcl-2 levels decrease, after exposure to camptothecin. In contrast, beta-lapachone increases bax protein expression in the absence of p53 activation. T98G cells are mutant for p53. In these cells, p53 levels do not change and p21 is not induced. bax accumulation in T98G cells is induced by both drugs, with bcl-2 levels unaltered. Surprisingly, ectopic expression of murine bcl-2 fails to abrogate the toxicity of either drug. Camptothecin, but not beta-lapachone, sensitizes human malignant glioma cells to apoptosis induced by the cytotoxic cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and CD95 ligand. Thus, both drugs have potent anti-glioma activity that may be mediated by enhanced bax expression but is not inhibited by ectopic bcl-2 expression. Camptothecin-like agents are particularly promising for immunochemotherapy of malignant glioma using cytotoxic drugs and CD95 ligand.
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PMID:Topoisomerase-I inhibitors for human malignant glioma: differential modulation of p53, p21, bax and bcl-2 expression and of CD95-mediated apoptosis by camptothecin and beta-lapachone. 939 50

Melanoma cells often display a multidrug-resistant phenotype, but the mechanisms involved are largely unknown. In order to establish a reproducable model system for studying the exact mechanisms conferring chemoresistance, we selected drug-resistant sublines in vitro derived from one parental human melanoma (MeWo) cell line. Four commonly used chemotherapeutic drugs (vindesine, etoposide, fotemustine, cisplatin) with different modes of action were choosen and stable sublines exhibiting four different levels of resistance against each drug were selected by continuous exposure over two years. Analysis of the drug-resistant sublines regarding their pharmacological characteristics and cross-resistance pattern revealed an up to 26-fold increased relative resistance against the alkylating agent fotemustine (MeWoFOTE) and an up to 35.7-fold increased relative resistance against topoisomerase-II-inhibiting etoposide (MeWoETO). Cisplatin selection (MeWoCIS) resulted in a 6-fold higher resistance compared to parental MeWo cells, whereas vindesine exposure (MeWoVIND) increased relative resistance up to 10.2-fold. Sublines selected separately for resistance to the DNA-damaging agents fotemustine, cisplatin and etoposide demonstrated strong cross-resistance. In comparison to the parental cell line drug-resistant sublines showed altered expression patterns of proto-oncogenes. Levels of p53 mRNA decreased with increasing resistance to vindesine, etoposide and fotemustine. Expression of bcl-2 family members (bax, bcl-x) was modulated by fotemustine, etoposide and cisplatin. In addition the expression of members of the fos (c-fos) and jun (c-jun, jun-D) gene family encoding transcription factors of the AP-1 complex was altered in all drug-resistant sublines. The pattern of expression varied with the inducing stimulus and this was paralleled by changes in the transactivation potential of AP-1. Our results reinforce the central role of AP-l in drug resistance probably through its participation in a programmed cellular stress response.
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PMID:Human melanoma cell lines selected in vitro displaying various levels of drug resistance against cisplatin, fotemustine, vindesine or etoposide: modulation of proto-oncogene expression. 949 34

The tumor suppressor gene product p53 can bind to and inhibit the helicase activity of the multisubunit transcription-repair factor TFIIH. We previously reported that p53-mediated apoptosis is attenuated in primary human fibroblasts from individuals with Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP) that harbor mutations in the TFIIH DNA helicases XPD or XPB. In this study we show that apoptosis is reduced and delayed in three XPD lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), but not in an XPD heterozygote LCL, after exposure to doxorubicin, a DNA-damaging agent and topoisomerase II inhibitor frequently used in cancer therapy. Apoptosis was assessed by quantitation of Annexin V binding to exposed phosphatidylserine residues and by caspase-mediated cleavage of Poly(ADP)Ribose Polymerase (PARP). Apoptosis induced by doxorubicin was suppressed in LCLs retrovirally transduced with the Human Papillomavirus 16 E6 oncoprotein, consistent with the hypothesis that this is a p53-dependent process. PARP cleavage was not delayed in XPD LCLs in response to anti-Fas (CD95) antibody-mediated apoptosis, thus, the defect in the apoptotic pathway in these cells lies upstream of caspase activation. Similar changes in the expression of apoptosis-effector genes, p53, and p53-responsive genes p21Cip1/WAF-1/Sid1 (p21), gadd45, bcl-2 and bax were observed in normal and XPD LCLs after treatment with doxorubicin, indicating that delayed apoptosis was not a consequence of defective transcription of these genes. Thus, our studies provide further support to the hypothesis that XPD and p53 can functionally interact in a p53-mediated apoptotic pathway.
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PMID:Drug-induced apoptosis is delayed and reduced in XPD lymphoblastoid cell lines: possible role of TFIIH in p53-mediated apoptotic cell death. 1046 15

Several studies have shown that hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] induces apoptosis in a variety of in vitro test systems. We instilled intra-tracheally either saline or sodium dichromate (0.25 mg/kg body weight), for three consecutive days, to Sprague-Dawley rats. TUNEL analyses showed a marked increase of the apoptotic index in both bronchial epithelium and lung parenchyma of Cr(VI)-treated rats, but no effect was detected in their liver. In parallel, the expression of 13 out of 18 apoptosis-related genes, evaluated by cDNA array analysis, was significantly enhanced in rat lung. The overexpressed genes included c-Jun N-terminal kinases 1, 2 and 3, bcl-x, bcl-2-associated death promoter and bcl-2-related ovarian killer protein, caspases 1, 3 and 6, DNase I precursor, DNA topoisomerases I and II alpha, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. The enhancement of p53 expression in the lung was borderline to statistical significance. Expressions of bcl-2, bax-alpha, mdm2 and DNA topoisomerase IIB were not enhanced to a significant extent in lung. No induction of gene expression was observed in rat liver. RT-PCR analyses confirmed that Cr(VI) enhances the expression of c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1, caspase 6, and DNase I precursor but not that of bcl-2 in lung, while none of these genes was overexpressed in the liver of Cr(VI)-treated rats. The lack of stimulation of apoptosis in the liver parallels the failure of Cr(VI) to produce genotoxic damage, as we previously observed under identical experimental conditions. These negative findings may be ascribed to reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) when traveling from the respiratory tract to the liver. On the other hand, induction of apoptosis in the respiratory tract parallels the occurrence of genotoxic effects and oxidative DNA damage produced by Cr(VI) in the same tissue. As previously shown in another laboratory, Cr(VI) did not induce lung tumors after 30 months of administration of the same daily dose. Therefore, apoptosis is likely to provide a protective mechanism at a post-genotoxic stage of Cr(VI) carcinogenesis.
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PMID:Induction of apoptosis in the lung but not in the liver of rats receiving intra-tracheal instillations of chromium(VI). 1196 Sep 10

The anthracyclin doxorubicin (DXR) is a major antitumor agent known to cause cellular damage via a number of mechanisms including free radical formation and inhibition of topoisomerase II. It is not clear, however, how the subsequent lesions may lead to the apoptotic death of the cell. We have here examined the effects of DXR on activation of pro-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family, all of which are connected to the mitochondrial events of apoptosis. In two human cell lines (lymphoma and myeloma), clinically relevant concentrations of DXR were found to induce apoptosis, first observed after 24 h of treatment. Apoptosis correlated with modulation of Bak and Bax to their active conformations. bax- as well as bak-deficient mouse embryo fibroblasts were resistant to DXR compared with wild-type mouse embryo fibroblasts further supporting a role for these proteins as main DXR-induced apoptosis regulators. Furthermore, using immunocytochemistry as well as chemical blocking of putative apical pathways we could demonstrate that Bak is activated prior to Bax. In the human cell lines, DXR was furthermore found to induce high protein levels of Bik, another BH3-only protein. DXR-induced apoptosis was completely blocked in Bcl-2-overexpressing U266 cells. Interestingly, in Bcl-2-transfected cells Bak activation was also blocked, while Bax was still partially active in agreement with differential regulation of these two proteins. Furthermore, co-incubation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-inhibitor LY294002 potentiated the apoptotic response to DXR. This enhanced apoptosis was preceded by enhanced Bak and Bax activation, and both responses as well as apoptosis were blocked in transfectants overexpressing Bcl-2. In summary, several pieces of evidence suggest that DXR induces apoptosis through a sequential and differential activation of Bak and Bax.
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PMID:Activation of Bak, Bax, and BH3-only proteins in the apoptotic response to doxorubicin. 1219 97

The topoisomerase-I inhibitor irinotecan (CPT-11) is currently used in Phase I/II trials for the treatment of patients with recurrent malignant gliomas. Protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors such as high-dose tamoxifen and hypericin also have been used in the treatment of malignant gliomas. The current study examined the role of PKC inhibitors as chemosensitizers for CPT-11 and their proposed mechanism of action. Two glioma cell lines (A-172 and U-87) and one primary glioma cell culture (LA-567) were used. Proliferation ((3)H-thymidine) and cytotoxicity (methylthiotetrazole) studies were performed using CPT-11 (0-100 microM) alone, 7-ethyl-10-hydroxy camptothecin (SN-38) (0-1000 nM) alone or in the presence of a PKC inhibitor, tamoxifen (10 microM), hypericin (10 microM), calphositin C (400 nM), or staurosporine (10 nM). The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling(TUNEL) assay was used to determine apoptosis as the mechanism of cytotoxicity; alterations in bcl-2 and bax expression were determined using Western blot analysis. Conversion of CPT-11 to SN-38 by glioma cells was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Increasing CPT-11 and SN-38 concentrations induced cytotoxic morphologic changes, decreased proliferation, and increased cytotoxicity on all glioma cell lines tested. These changes were increased in the presence of a PKC inhibitor. The mechanism of the cytotoxicity was determined to be apoptosis by the TUNEL assay. The combination of a PKC inhibitor with CPT-11 or SN-38 led to decreased expression of the antiapoptotic protein bcl-2, and increased expression of the proapoptotic protein bax. HPLC analysis demonstrated conversion of CPT-11 to SN-38 by glioma cells. A combination of CPT-11 or SN-38 with a PKC inhibitor was found to lead to a decrease in proliferation and an increase in apoptosis in malignant glioma cells. The induction of apoptosis was secondary to a decrease in bcl-2 and an increase in bax expression. Glioma cells are capable of converting CPT-11 to SN-38 by intrinsic tumor carboxylesterases.
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PMID:Combination therapy with irinotecan and protein kinase C inhibitors in malignant glioma. 1271 58

Salvicine, a novel topoisomerase II inhibitor and a diterpenoid quinone compound, exerts potent in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects. In our study, we show that salvicine effectively kills multidrug-resistant (MDR) sublines, such as K562/A02, KB/VCR and MCF-7/ADR, and parental K562, KB and MCF-7 cell lines to an equivalent degree. These cytotoxic activities of salvicine were much more potent than those of several classical anticancer drugs (average resistance factor: 1.42 for salvicine vs. 344.35, 233.19 and 71.22 for vincristine, doxorubicin and etoposide, respectively). Flow cytometry and DNA agarose gel electrophoresis demonstrated that salvicine induced similar levels of apoptosis in MDR K562/A02 and parental cells. The compound activated caspase-1 and -3 (but not caspase-8) and increased the ratio of bax to bcl-2 mRNA via reduction of bcl-2 mRNA expression in the same cells. Furthermore, salvicine induced the downregulation of mdr-1 gene and P-gp expression but had no effect on MRP and LRP gene expression in MDR K562/A02 cells. These results suggest that the reduction of mdr-1 and bcl-2 expression by salvicine possibly contributes to its cytotoxicity and apoptotic induction in this system. The effectiveness, broad-spectrum activity and possibly novel mechanism of killing MDR tumor cells in vitro of salvicine signify promising in vivo and clinical activity. The novel chemical structure of this compound further implies a role for salvicine in future MDR tumor therapy.
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PMID:Cytotoxicity, apoptosis induction and downregulation of MDR-1 expression by the anti-topoisomerase II agent, salvicine, in multidrug-resistant tumor cells. 1279 65

Salvicine, a diterpenoid quinone compound, possesses potent in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity. Salvicine is a novel non-intercalative topoisomerase II poison. In this study salvicine induced evident DNA damage, which was further characterized as double-strand breaks mainly in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. The degree of damage was highly correlated with growth inhibition of MCF-7. Using a PCR-stop assay we demonstrated that this damage was selective. Preferential damage occurred in the p2 promoter region, but not the 3'-end of the protooncogene c-myc. The expression of oncogenes, such as c-myc and c-jun, was additionally investigated. Salvicine induced a dose-dependent decrease in c-myc gene transcription, concomitant with an increase in c-jun expression. Furthermore, reverse-transcription PCR and Western blotting data revealed that salvicine failed to stimulate the mRNA and protein levels of p53 and its downstream targets p21 and bax. The phosphorylation degree of serine 15 of p53, which is thought to be an active form of p53 in response to cellular DNA damage, remained in a steady state. In view of these results, we propose that the downregulation of c-myc resulting from selective damage plays a role in apoptosis signaling. Moreover, salvicine-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 subsequent to DNA damage seems to be mediated through a p53-independent pathway.
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PMID:DNA damage, c-myc suppression and apoptosis induced by the novel topoisomerase II inhibitor, salvicine, in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. 1559 35


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