Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0023418 (leukemia)
 93,477 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The bcl-2 protein suppresses apoptosis and the bax protein opposes the cytoprotective effect of bcl-2. A decrease in bcl-2 levels has been implicated in the induction of apoptosis during the terminal differentiation of HL60 myeloid leukaemia cells. We show here that bax protein also declined with a time course similar to the downregulation of bcl-2 following treatment of HL60 with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) or retinoic acid (RA). Decreased bcl-2 protein expression in induced cells was associated with down-regulation of its mRNA. By contrast, the decrease in bax occurred by a post-transcriptional mechanism. Co-ordinate downregulation of bcl-2 and bax proteins may fine-tune the induction of apoptosis during cellular differentiation.
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PMID:Co-ordinated downregulation of bcl-2 and bax expression during granulocytic and macrophage-like differentiation of the HL60 promyelocytic leukaemia cell line. 883 Jun 74

Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) is critical for an effective innate immune response against infection. A combination of interleukins (ILs) derived from activated T cells (IL-2) and monocytes (IL-12), or monocytes alone (IL-15 and IL-12), induces optimal production of IFN-gamma from natural killer (NK) cells. The mechanism by which human NK cells downregulate their production of IFN-gamma is unknown. Here we show that the same cytokines that induce human NK cell IFN-gamma production subsequently induce apoptosis of the NK cells. Fas, bcl-2, or bax do not appear to be involved in this process. The mechanism of cytokine-induced apoptosis of human NK cells appears to involve NK cell production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Neutralization of TNF-alpha or inhibition of TNF-alpha binding to the p80 TNF-alpha receptor partially inhibited apoptosis. Transforming growth factor-beta, which inhibits cytokine-induced NK cell production of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha, also decreased cytokine-induced NK cell apoptosis. Costimulation of a CD3-CD56+ NK leukemia cell line with IL-2 and IL-12 or IL-15 and IL-12 induced apoptosis in vitro, which increased when combined with a chemotherapeutic agent. In summary, costimulation of human NK cells via the IL-2 receptor and the IL-12 receptor induces significant IFN-gamma production, followed by NK cell apoptosis and a decline in IFN-gamma production. Hence, cytokines that activate this innate immune response may also serve to limit it via apoptosis. This novel observation may have implications for the regulation of the innate immune response during infection, the toxicity of combination cytokine therapy, and the treatment of NK cell leukemia.
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PMID:Cytokine-induced apoptosis of human natural killer cells identifies a novel mechanism to regulate the innate immune response. 902 22

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common leukemia in Western countries but the clinical presentation and rate of disease progression are highly variable. When treatment is required the most commonly used therapy is the nitrogen mustard alkylating agent, chlorambucil (CLB), with or without prednisone. Although CLB has been used in the treatment of CLL for forty years the exact mechanism of action of this agent in CLL is still unclear. Studies in proliferating model tumor systems have demonstrated that CLB can bind to a variety of cellular structures such as membranes, RNA, proteins and DNA; however, DNA crosslinking appears to be most important for antitumor activity in these systems. In addition, a number of different mechanisms can contribute to CLB resistance in these tumor models including increased drug metabolism, DNA repair and CLB detoxification resulting from elevated levels of glutathione (GSH) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity. However, unlike tumor models in vitro, CLL cells are generally not proliferating and studies in CLL cells have raised questions about the hypothesis that DNA crosslinking is the major mechanism of antitumor action for CLB in this disease. CLB induces apoptosis in CLL cells and this appears to correlate with the clinical effects of this agent. Thus, alkylation of cellular targets other than DNA, which can also induce apoptosis, may contribute to the activity of CLB. Alterations in genes such as p53, mdm-2, bcl-2 and bax which control entry into apoptosis may cause drug resistance. Loss of wild-type p53 by mutation or deletion occurs in 10 to 15% of CLL patients and appears to correlate strongly with poor clinical response to CLB. The induction of apoptosis by CLB is paralleled by an increase in P53 and Mdm-2 but this increase in not observed in patients with p53 mutations indicating that with high drug concentrations CLB can produce cell death through P53 independent pathways. The level of Mdm-2 mRNA in the CLL cells is not a useful predictor of drug sensitivity. In addition, although Bax and Bcl-2 are important regulators of apoptosis and the levels of these proteins are elevated in CLL cells compared with normal B cells, the levels of Bax and Bcl-2, or the Bax:Bcl-2 ratio, are not important determinants of drug sensitivity in this leukemia. Finally, whereas CLB and nucleoside analogs may produce cell death in CLL by a P53 dependent pathway other agents, such as dexamethasone or vincristine, may act through P53-independent pathways.
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PMID:Chlorambucil in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: mechanism of action. 903 Oct 99

The human T-cell leukemia virus-encoded oncoprotein Tax is a potent deregulator of cellular gene expression. Here we report that Tax represses transcription of the human bax gene, a gene whose protein product accelerates apoptosis. This repression is mediated through a 27-bp sequence in the bax promoter that contains a putative basic helix-loop-helix binding site. Deletion of this sequence abolishes Tax-mediated repression of bax. Repression of the bax gene may be biologically significant, as we also show that HTLV-I-infected cell lines are resistant to a variety of physical, chemical, and biological stimuli which induce apoptosis in uninfected T-cells. The repression of genes involved in promoting apoptosis, including the bax gene, may contribute to retroviral survival, and initiate a pathway toward malignant transformation.
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PMID:Repression of bax gene expression by the HTLV-1 Tax protein: implications for suppression of apoptosis in virally infected cells. 914 12

Bcl-2 over-expression has been shown to inhibit apoptosis induced by a variety of stimuli, whereas a predominance of Bax alpha to Bcl-2 accelerates apoptosis upon apoptotic stimuli. We sought to study the relevance of these apoptotic regulating gene products in leukaemia. In a panel of leukaemia and lymphoma cell lines (HL60, DoHH2, CEM C7, L1210 and S49), the Bax alpha-to-Bcl-2 ratio as assessed by Western-blot analysis correlated with sensitivity to dexamethasone treatment. In addition, in HAbax alpha-transfected CEM C7 clones, a similar correlation was found for dexamethasone and thapsigargin sensitivity. In bone-marrow aspirates from patients with childhood acute lymphoblastic or myelocytic leukaemia (ALL, n = 48; AML, n = 8), the Bcl-2 and Bax alpha levels were highly variable, but well within the range found in the Bax alpha transfectants and in the established cell lines. Bcl-2 levels were lower in T- than in B-lineage ALL, which could be ascribed to simultaneous inverse relation between Bcl-2 and WBC. By contrast, Bax alpha:Bcl-2 was independent of any presenting feature and was largely dependent on Bax alpha levels. Results suggest that Bax alpha:Bcl-2, rather than Bcl-2 alone is important for the survival of drug-induced apoptosis in leukemic cell lines and ALL.
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PMID:The Bax alpha:Bcl-2 ratio modulates the response to dexamethasone in leukaemic cells and is highly variable in childhood acute leukaemia. 918 97

A murine erythroleukemic cell line (1-2-3) which expresses only the temperature-sensitive mutant p53 gene (Ala-to-Val substitution at codon 135) was established. When these cells were cultured at 32 degrees C, the growth rate was reduced significantly and DNA fragmentation, a typical character of apoptosis, was observed. In this process, p53 migrated from cytoplasm to nucleus and protein complexes binding to the p53-responsive element were detected in nuclear extracts of the cells cultured at 32 degrees C by gel-shift assay and transactivation from the p53-responsive element was detected. The expression of the p21 (waf1/cip1/sdi1), cyclin G and gadd45 genes was increased (about 3 to 4 fold that at 37 degrees C), when the cells were cultured at 32 degrees C. However, the expression of the bax gene was increased slightly (about 1.5 fold that at 37 degrees C) and no significant change was detected in expression of the mdm2 gene. No change in the amount of Fas antigen was observed by flow cytometric analysis. Transcripts of the bcl-2 and fasl gene were not detected in the cells both at 37 degrees C and 32 degrees C. These results suggest that up-regulation of the genes associated with the cell cycle and/or DNA replication, such as p21, cyclinG and gadd45 rather than bax, fas, fasl and bcl-2 may be important for induction of apoptosis of this erythroleukemic cell line by p53.
Leukemia 1997 Apr
PMID:Up-regulation of cell cycle-associated genes by p53 in apoptosis of an erythroleukemic cell line. 920 1

A human eosinophilic leukemia cell line, EoL-1, stopped proliferating at the G1 phase, differentiated into eosinophilic granule-containing cells, and died by apoptosis when stimulated with dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP). To clarify the effects of dbcAMP, the effects of butyrate and cAMP-increasing reagents, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and forskolin, on EoL-1 cellular differentiation and apoptosis were examined and compared. PGE2 and forskolin but not butyrate induced differentiation to eosinophilic granule-containing cells, suggesting that cAMP played a primary role in eosinophilic differentiation of EoL-1 cells. PGE2, forskolin and butyrate, when used alone, did not induce apoptosis of EoL-1 cells significantly at the concentrations used, but sequential stimulation of EoL-1 cells with the cAMP-increasing reagents and butyrate showed that butyrate induced further maturation and apoptosis of cAMP-induced eosinophilic granule-containing cells. These results showed that cAMP and butyrate have different effects on eosinophilic differentiation and apoptosis of EoL-1 cells. The cAMP-increasing reagents and butyrate also showed different effects on expression of members of the bcl-2 family; PGE2 decreased bcl-2 and bax levels, whereas butyrate increased the bcl-2 level. PGE2 or PGE2+butyrate, but not butyrate alone, induced bcl-XS expression. EoL-1 cells constitutively expressed Fas and anti-Fas antibody induced EoL-1 cell death, but the Fas/Fas ligand system was not involved in dbcAMP-induced EoL-1 cell apoptosis. The EoL-1 cell line is thus a useful model in which to examine differentiation and apoptosis of eosinophilic leukemia cells.
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PMID:Different effects of cyclic AMP and butyrate on eosinophilic differentiation, apoptosis and bcl-2 expression of a human eosinophilic leukemia cell line, EoL-1. 926 64

A gene encoding the p53 val135 mutant, which assumes mutant conformation at 38.5 degrees C and wild-type conformation at 32.5 degrees C, was introduced into p53-deficient K562 myeloid leukemia cells. Forced expression of wild-type, but not mutant, p53 resulted in growth arrest, accumulation of p21 and Bax proteins, and delayed cell death. Wild-type p53 enhanced the cytotoxic effects of some drugs and attenuated those of others. Compared with wild-type p53, mutant p53 induced much stronger sensitization to drug cytotoxicity. This occurred in the absence of effects on cell cycle progression or activation of several p53 target genes. Although both mutant and wild-type p53 induced changes of immunophenotype, no specific pattern of differentiation was associated with enhanced chemosensitivity. Thus, (1) induction of growth arrest and activation of p53 target genes such as p21 and bax are linked to the wild-type conformation of p53; (2) p53 induces immunophenotypic changes of myeloid leukemia cells suggestive of multidirectional differentiation in a conformation-dependent manner; and (3) (so-called) mutant p53 induces chemosensitization in the absence of effects on cell cycle progression, activation of bax, p21, gadd45 and mdm-2, or a specific pattern of differentiation; and (4) chemosensitization mediated by wild-type p53 may be masked by transcription-dependent induction of growth arrest.
Leukemia 1997 Nov
PMID:A new look at the role of p53 in leukemia cell sensitivity to chemotherapy. 936 16

Glucocorticoid (GC) hormones induce apoptosis in lymphoid and leukemic cells by binding and activating cytosolic GC receptors. Because physiological stress often causes hormone-free GC receptor activation, we have investigated if stress-induced apoptosis of lymphoid cells is also mediated by the activation of the GC receptor pathway. In S49 T lymphoma cells, heat shock and deprivation of growth factors or nutrients caused nuclear translocation and loss of agonist binding capacity of GC receptors, similar to that in cells incubated with the glucocorticoid dexamethasone (DEX). In variant S49 H.2 cells, cross-resistance to DEX, temperature shocks and growth factor deprivation were associated with a higher threshold for hormone-dependent and -independent receptor activation in situ and with impaired in vitro activation of cytosolic receptors. Cross-resistance to DEX, low serum and heat shock was abrogated, however, by pharmacological sensitization of GC receptor activation with the drug meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG). Sensitive S49 cells and resistant variants did not differ in the expression levels of the apoptosis-regulating genes bax, bad, bcl-X and bcl-2, the status of the p53 gene nor in a different requirement for the growth factors II-2, IL-4 or IL-9. The results suggest that ligand-independent activation of the GC receptor is a central signalling and controlling event in some forms of stress-induced apoptosis, assigning a novel function to the GC receptor in the regulation of lymphoid and leukemic cell numbers.
Leukemia 1998 Mar
PMID:Involvement of the glucocorticoid receptor in stress-induced apoptosis of leukemic cells. 952 36

We have previously developed an in vivo model of leukemogenesis utilizing mice reconstituted with genetically modified bone marrow cells. Based on those studies, a new single gene retroviral vector has been engineered which efficiently transfers v-myc into immature murine bone marrow cells. All reconstituted mice developed leukemia with a short latency period (5-11 weeks). In addition to hyperproliferation associated with elevated levels of PCNA, extensive apoptosis was also observed in all leukemic animals with p53 accumulating in the apoptotic cells. Whereas bax encoded protein, an effector of p53 apoptotic activity was detected in apoptotic cells, p21Waf1 protein, a potential mediator of p53 growth suppression was not detected in these cells suggesting that v-myc-induced apoptosis was independent of the ability of p53 to induce p21Waf1. These results indicate that apoptosis, a part of the cellular response to v-myc expression, does not prevent leukemia development and that hyperproliferation rather than abrogation of oncogene-induced apoptosis appears to be a critical event in v-myc-induced leukemia.
Leukemia 1998 Apr
PMID:V-myc in a simple, single gene retroviral vector causes rapid induction of leukemia and concomitant apoptosis following bone marrow transplantation. 955 13


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