Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0004135 (ATM)
 13,001 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The mechanism(s) of c-Myc transcription factor-induced apoptosis is still obscure. The activation of c-Myc has been found to lead into the processing/activation of caspases (caspase-3), but the significance of this for the cell demise is debatable. Here we report that several targets of caspases (PKCdelta, MDM2, PARP, replication factor C, 70 kDa U1snRNP, fodrin and lamins) are cleaved during c-Myc-induced apoptosis in Rat-1 MycER cells, indicating an important role for caspases in the apoptotic process. We further found that the ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated)--protein is a novel key substrate of caspases. In in vitro assays, purified recombinant ATM protein was found to be cleaved by the effector caspases 3 and 7. The functional significance of the ATM cleavage is supported by the finding that ectopic expression of ATM protected in part against apoptosis. We also show that c-Myc-induced apoptosis involves loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential, release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into the cytosol and subsequent processing of caspase-9. The cleavage of caspase-9 is, however, minimal and a much later event than the processing/activation of caspase-3, suggesting that it is not the apical caspase. Evidence is provided that there is, nevertheless, an upstream caspase(s) regulating the functions of caspase-3 and mitochondria. Additionally, it was found that p53 becomes upregulated, together with its transcriptional targets MDM2 and p21, upon c-Myc induction, but this occurs also at a later time than the activation of caspase-3.
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PMID:Caspases and mitochondria in c-Myc-induced apoptosis: identification of ATM as a new target of caspases. 1082 87

The physiological role of the angiotensin II AT2 receptor subtype is not fully characterized. We studied whether AT2 receptor could antagonize AT1 mediated superoxide formation in endothelial cells. In quiescent human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) superoxide formation was measured after long-term incubation (6 h) with angiotensin II in the presence or absence of its receptor blocker candesartan (AT1) or PD123319 (AT2) using the cytochrome c assay. In separate experiments, the effects of AT2 mediated effects on activities of cellular phosphates including the src homology 2 domain containing phosphatases (SHP-1) was studied. The basal superoxide formation (0.19+/-0.03 nmol superoxide mg protein(-1) min(-1)) in HUVEC was increased by 37.1% after exposure to angiotensin II (100 nM,) which was due to an activation of a NAD(P)H oxidase. This was abolished by candesartan (1 microM) as well as the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein. In contrast, blockade of AT2 receptors by PD123319 enhanced the superoxide formation by 73.7% in intact cells. Stimulation of AT2 went along with an increased activity of tyrosine phosphatases in total cell lysates (29.8%) and, in particular, a marked stimulation of src homology 2 domain containing phosphatases (SHP-1, by 293.4%). The tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor vanadate, in turn, prevented the AT2 mediated effects on superoxide formation. The expression of both angiotensin II receptor subtypes AT1 and AT2 was confirmed by RT - PCR analysis. It is concluded that AT2 functionally antagonizes the AT1 induced endothelial superoxide formation by a pathway involving tyrosine phosphatases.
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PMID:Differential role of angiotensin II receptor subtypes on endothelial superoxide formation. 1103 Jul 14

Using spontaneously hypertensive and aortic banded rats, we have shown that expression of myocardial osteopontin, an extracellular matrix protein, coincides with the development of heart failure and is inhibited by captopril, suggesting a role for angiotensin II (ANG II). This study tested whether ANG II induces osteopontin expression in adult rat ventricular myocytes and cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMEC), and if so, whether induction is mediated via activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (p42/44 MAPK) and involves reactive oxygen species (ROS). ANG II (1 microM, 16 h) increased osteopontin expression (fold increase 3.3+/-0.34, n = 12, P < 0.01) in CMEC as measured by northern analysis, but not in ARVM. ANG II stimulated osteopontin expression in CMEC in a time- (within 4 h) and concentration-dependent manner, which was prevented by the AT1 receptor antagonist, losartan. ANG II elicited robust phosphorylation of p42/44 MAPK as measured using phospho-specific antibodies, and increased superoxide production as measured by cytochrome c reduction and lucigenin chemiluminescence assays. These effects were blocked by diphenylene iodonium (DPI), an inhibitor of the flavoprotein component of NAD(P)H oxidase. PD98059, an inhibitor of p42/44 MAPK pathway, and DPI each inhibited ANG II-stimulated osteopontin expression. Northern blot analysis showed basal expression of p22phox, a critical component of NADH/NADPH oxidase system, which was increased 40-60% by exposure to ANG II. These results suggest that p42/44 MAPK is a critical component of the ROS-sensitive signaling pathways activated by ANG II in CMEC and plays a key role in the regulation of osteopontin gene expression. Published 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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PMID:Regulation of angiotensin II-stimulated osteopontin expression in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells: role of p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase and reactive oxygen species. 1138 29

Single-stranded DNA has been speculated to be the initial signal in the DNA damage signaling pathway. We showed that introduction of single-stranded DNA with diverse sequences into mammalian cells induced DNA damage as well as apoptosis signals. Like DNA damaging agents, single-stranded DNA up-regulated p53 and activated the nuclear kinase ataxia telangiectasia mutant (ATM) as evidenced by phosphorylation of histone 2AX, an endogenous ATM substrate. Single-stranded DNA also triggered apoptosis as evidenced by the formation of caspase-dependent chromosomal DNA strand breaks, cytochrome c release, and increase in reactive oxygen species production. Moreover, single-stranded DNA-induced apoptosis was reduced significantly in p53 null cells and in cells treated with ATM small interfering RNA. These results suggest that single-stranded DNA may act upstream of ATM/p53 in DNA damage signaling.
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PMID:Single-stranded DNA induces ataxia telangiectasia mutant (ATM)/p53-dependent DNA damage and apoptotic signals. 1254 Aug 48

The impact of disruption of the PI3K (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase) pathway on the response of human leukemia cells to pharmacological cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors has been examined. Exposure of U937 monocytic leukemia cells to minimally toxic concentrations of flavopiridol (FP), roscovitine, or CGP74514A for 3 h in conjunction with the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 (abbreviated LY in the article) resulted in a marked decrease in Akt phosphorylation. Coexposure of cells to LY and CDK inhibitors also resulted in an early (i.e., within 3 h) and striking increase in mitochondrial damage [e.g., cytochrome c, second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases/direct inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP)-binding protein with low isoelectric point (Smac/DIABLO), and apoptosis-initiating factor (AIF) release], caspase activation, and apoptosis. Similar interactions were observed in a variety of other leukemia cell types (e.g., HL-60, Jurkat, Raji, and NB4). Apoptosis, induced by FP/LY, was substantially blocked by ectopic expression of Bcl-2, but to a considerably lesser extent by dominant-negative caspase-8. FP-induced apoptosis was not enhanced by agents that inhibited protein kinase (PK) A (H89), PKC (GFX), mitogen-activated protein (MAP)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase (MEK1/2; U0126), p38 MAP kinase (MAPK; SB202190), m-target of rapamycin (TOR; rapamycin), or ataxia-telangiectasia mutation (ATM; caffeine), whereas the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin exerted effects similar to those of LY. The dramatic potentiation of CDK inhibitor-induced apoptosis by LY was accompanied by diminished Bad phosphorylation, induction of Bcl-2 cleavage, and down-regulation of X-linked IAP (XIAP) and Mcl-1. Cells exposed to CDK inhibitors + LY also exhibited reduced phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3, forkhead transcription factor (FKHR), p70(S6K), and ERK, but increased activation of p34(cdc2) and p38 MAPK. LY/CDK inhibitor-treated cells also displayed diminished pRb dephosphorylation on CDK2- and CDK4-specific sites, retinoblastoma protein cleavage, and down-regulation of cyclin D(1). Inducible expression of constitutively active (myristolated) Akt significantly, albeit partially, attenuated apoptosis in Jurkat leukemia cells treated with either FP alone or the combination of FP and LY. Finally, cotreatment with LY and FP resulted in a dramatic increase in apoptosis in primary leukemic blasts obtained from a patient with acute myeloblastic leukemia. Together, these findings suggest that the PI3K/Akt pathway plays a major role in regulating the apoptotic response of human leukemia cells to pharmacological CDK inhibitors and raise the possibility that combined interruption of CDK- and PI3K-related pathways may represent a novel therapeutic strategy in hematological malignancies.
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PMID:The lethal effects of pharmacological cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors in human leukemia cells proceed through a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt-dependent process. 1270 69

We have shown previously that ionizing radiation (IR) induces a persistent G(2)-M arrest but not cell death in MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells that harbor functional p53 but lack caspase-3. In the present study, we investigated the mechanisms of apoptosis resistance and the roles of p53, caspase-3, and cell cycle arrest in IR-induced apoptosis. The methylxanthine caffeine and the staurosporine analog UCN-01, which can inhibit ATM and Chk kinases, efficiently abrogated the IR-induced G(2)-M arrest and induced mitochondrial activation as judged by the loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential and the release of cytochrome c and Smac/Diablo. However, despite these proapoptotic alterations, cell death and activation of the initiator caspase-9 were not induced in MCF-7 cells but were interestingly only observed after reexpression of caspase-3. Sensitization to IR-induced apoptosis by caffeine or UCN-01 was abrogated neither by cycloheximide nor by pifithrin-alpha, an inhibitor of the transcriptional activity of p53. Furthermore, suppression of p53 by RNA interference could not prevent caffeine- and IR-induced mitochondrial alterations and apoptosis but resulted in an even more pronounced G(2)-M arrest. Collectively, our results clearly show that the resistance of MCF-7 cells to IR-induced apoptosis is caused by two independent events; one of them is a caffeine- or UCN-01-inhibitable event that does not depend on p53 or a release of the G(2)-M arrest. The second event is the loss of caspase-3 that surprisingly seems essential for a fully functional caspase-9 pathway, even despite the previous release of mitochondrial proapoptotic proteins.
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PMID:Apoptosis resistance of MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells to ionizing radiation is independent of p53 and cell cycle control but caused by the lack of caspase-3 and a caffeine-inhibitable event. 1546 1

Mitotic catastrophe occurs as a result of the uncoupling of the onset of mitosis from the completion of DNA replication, but precisely how the ensuing lethality is regulated or what signals are involved is largely unknown. We demonstrate here the essential role of the ATM/ATR-p53 pathway in mitotic catastrophe from premature mitosis. Chk1 deficiency resulted in a premature onset of mitosis because of abnormal activation of cyclin B-Cdc2 and led to the activation of caspases 3 and 9 triggered by cytoplasmic release of cytochrome c. This deficiency was associated with foci formation by the phosphorylated histone, H2AX (gammaH2AX), specifically at S phase. Ectopic expression of Cdc2AF, a mutant that cannot be phosphorylated at inhibitory sites, also induced premature mitosis and foci formation by gammaH2AX at S phase in both embryonic stem cells and HCT116 cells. Depletion of ATM and ATR protected against cell death from premature mitosis. p53-deficient cells were highly resistant to lethality from premature mitosis as well. Our results therefore suggest that ATM/ATR-p53 is required for mitotic catastrophe that eliminates cells escaping Chk1-dependent mitotic regulation. Loss of this function might be important in mammalian tumorigenesis.
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PMID:Depletion of Chk1 leads to premature activation of Cdc2-cyclin B and mitotic catastrophe. 1615 83

Silibinin, a natural flavonolignan, induces apoptosis in human bladder transitional-cell papilloma RT4 cells both in vitro and in vivo; however, mechanisms of such efficacy are not completely identified. Here, we studied the mechanisms involved in silibinin-induced apoptosis of RT4 cells having intact p53. Silibinin increased p53 protein level together with its increased phosphorylation at serine 15, activated caspase cascade and caused Bid cleavage for apoptosis. Silibinin-caused p53 activation was mediated via ATM-Chk2 pathway, which in turn induced caspase 2-mediated apoptosis. Pifithrin-alpha, a p53 inhibitor, reversed silibinin-induced caspase activation including caspase 2; however, caspase 2 inhibitor also reversed p53 phosphorylation suggesting a bidirectional regulation between them. Further, silibinin caused a rapid translocation of p53 and Bid into mitochondria leading to increased permeabilization of mitochondrial membrane and cytochrome c release into the cytosol. JNK1/2 activation was observed as a connecting link for p53-mediated caspase 2 activation. Interestingly, silibinin-induced apoptosis was mediated, in part, via Cip1/p21 cleavage by caspase, which was reversed by Cip1/p21 siRNA. Together, these results suggested the novel mechanisms for apoptosis induction by silibinin involving p53-caspase 2 activation and caspase-mediated cleavage of Cip1/p21.
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PMID:Silibinin activates p53-caspase 2 pathway and causes caspase-mediated cleavage of Cip1/p21 in apoptosis induction in bladder transitional-cell papilloma RT4 cells: evidence for a regulatory loop between p53 and caspase 2. 1677 94

We demonstrated here for the first time that zerumbone (ZER), a natural cyclic sesquiterpene, significantly suppressed the proliferation of promyelocytic leukemia NB4 cells among several leukemia cell lines, but not human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), by inducing G2/M cell cycle arrest followed by apoptosis with 10 microM of IC50. Treatment of NB4 cells with growth-suppressive concentrations of ZER resulted in G2/M cell cycle arrest that was associated with a decline of Cyclin B1 protein, but with the phosphorylation of ATM/ Chk1/Chk2. In addition, ZER induced the phosphorylation of Cdc25C at the Thr48 residue and Cdc2 at the Thr14/Tyr15 residues. Furthermore, ZER-induced apoptosis in NB4 cells was initiated by the expression of Fas (CD95)/Fas Ligand (CD95L), concomitant with the activation of caspase-8. ZER was also found to induce the cleavage of Bid, a mediator that is known to connect the Fas/CD95 cell death receptor to the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. ZER also induced the cleavage of Bax and Mcl-1 proteins, but not Bcl-2 or Bcl-XL. ZER-induced apoptosis took place in association with a loss of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential as well as the activation of caspase-3 and -9, resulting in the degradation of the proteolytic poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). ZER also triggered a release of cytochrome c into the cytoplasm. Both antagonistic anti-Fas antibody ZB4 and pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD inhibited ZER-induced apoptosis in NB4 cells. Taken together, ZER is an inducer of apoptosis in leukemic cells that specifically triggers the Fas/CD95- and mitochondria-mediated apoptotic signaling pathway.
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PMID:Zerumbone, a bioactive sesquiterpene, induces G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in leukemia cells via a Fas- and mitochondria-mediated pathway. 1712 59

Ataxia Telangiectasia (AT) patients are particularly sensitive to oxidative-nitrosative stress. Nitric oxide (NO) controls mitochondrial respiration via the reversible inhibition of complex IV. The mitochondrial response to NO of AT lymphoblastoid cells was investigated. Cells isolated from three patients and three intrafamilial healthy controls were selected showing within each group a normal diploid karyotype and homogeneous telomere length. Different complex IV NO-inhibition patterns were induced by varying the electron flux through the respiratory chain, using exogenous cell membrane permeable electron donors. Under conditions of high electron flux the mitochondrial NO inhibition of respiration was greater in AT than in control cells (P< or =0.05). This property appears peculiar to AT, and correlates well to the higher concentration of cytochrome c detected in the AT cells. This finding is discussed on the basis of the proposed mechanism of reaction of NO with complex IV. It is suggested that the peculiar response of AT mitochondria to NO stress may be relevant to the mitochondrial metabolism of AT patients.
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PMID:Control of cell respiration by nitric oxide in Ataxia Telangiectasia lymphoblastoid cells. 1804 27


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