Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0027651 (tumor)
 685,946 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A comparison of the mechanism of action of benzoyl peroxide, a tumor promoter was studied in three different cell lines i.e. NIH 3T3, HDCS and A431. Benzoyl peroxide was found to mediate its effect by inducing poly ADP-ribosylation in all the three cell types studied but to different extents, with histone H1 serving as a common acceptor for poly ADP-ribose. It also stimulated the activities of the antioxidant enzymes CuZn superoxide dismutase and catalase in NIH 3T3 and HDCS cells, but not in A431. Alterations in the expression of c-jun and c-fos were observed in NIH 3T3 and A431 cells. Benzoyl Peroxide appeared to mediate its effect via genetic and epigenetic mechanisms.
 ...
PMID:Insights into the mechanism of action of benzoyl peroxide as a tumor promoter. 914 53

The tumor suppressor gene p53 is expressed in the contrasting cell fates apoptosis and proliferation. We examined whether the transactivation of the p53 target genes, waf1 and mdm2, is dependent on the cause of p53 induction in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Both apoptosis triggered by the purine analog 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (CdA) and growth stimulation by the mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA) induced a comparable level and time course of p53 mRNA expression. Both stimuli led also to an increase of p53 protein levels. The cytotoxic agent, but not the mitogen, led to transactivation of waf1 and mdm2 within 18 h. Transactivation was followed by apoptosis of 89% of the PBMC within 48 h. The c-myc oncogene and poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP), which also have a dual function in proliferation and apoptosis, showed an early induction by both CdA and PHA. These results add further evidence that growth stimulation and DNA damage-induced apoptosis share early gene activation pathways in normal cells. However, since p53 does selectively translate into transactivation of target genes depending on the cause of induction, this function of p53 seems to be regulated by additional factors, which are closely related to the ultimate fate of the cell.
 ...
PMID:Type of inducing signal regulates transactivation by p53. 936 63

The molecular mechanisms for sensitivity and resistance of tumor cells towards chemotherapy are only partially understood. In chemosensitive leukemias and solid tumors, anticancer drugs have been shown to induce apoptosis. We previously identified activation of the CD95 (APO-1/Fas) receptor/CD95 ligand (CD95/CD95-L) system as a key mechanism for drug-induced apoptosis. Here, we show that therapeutic concentrations of doxorubicin, methotrexate and cytarabine also induce apoptosis via activation of the CD95 system in primary leukemia cells in vivo. CD95-resistant and doxorubicin-resistant leukemia and neuroblastoma cells display cross-resistance for induction of cell death. Down-regulation of CD95 expression was found in drug-resistant and CD95-resistant cell lines. Furthermore, up-regulation of CD95-L, previously shown to mediate drug-induced apoptosis in a variety of tumor cells, was completely blocked in doxorubicin-resistant cells. The prototype caspase (ICE/Ced-3 protease) substrate, poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP), was cleaved in sensitive, but not in resistant tumor cells following CD95 triggering or drug treatment. Since failure to activate CD95-L was not due to decreased drug uptake or increased drug efflux, non-multi-drug resistance (non-MDR) mechanisms are involved in this type of resistance. These findings suggested that an intact CD95 system plays a key role in determining sensitivity or resistance towards anticancer therapy.
 ...
PMID:Deficient activation of the CD95 (APO-1/Fas) system in drug-resistant cells. 936 15

The effects of the non-tumor-promoting protein kinase C (PKC) activator bryostatin 1 and the PKC inhibitors staurosporine and UCN-01 were examined with respect to modulation of 1-[beta-D-arabinofuranosyl]cytosine (ara-C)-induced apoptosis in human myeloid leukemia cells (HL-60) overexpressing the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. HL-60/Bcl-2 cells displayed a 5-fold increase in Bcl-2 protein compared with empty-vector counter-parts (HL-60/pCEP4) but comparable levels of Bax, Mcl-1, and Bcl-xL. After exposure to an equimolar concentration of ara-C (10 microM for 6 hr), HL-60/Bcl-2 cells were significantly less susceptible to apoptosis, DNA fragmentation, and loss of clonogenicity than HL-60/pCEP4 cells. The protective effect of increased Bcl-2 expression was manifested by a failure of ara-C to induce activation/cleavage of the Yama protease (CPP32; caspase-3) and degradation of one of its substrates, poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase to an 85-kDa cleavage product. When HL-60/Bcl-2 cells were preincubated with bryostatin 1 (10 nM; 24 hr) or coincubated with either staurosporine (50 nM; 6 hr) or UCN-01 (300 nM; 6 hr) after a 1-hr preincubation, exposures that exerted minimal effects alone, ara-C-induced apoptosis and DNA fragmentation were restored to levels equivalent to, or greater than, those observed in empty-vector controls. These events were accompanied by restoration of the ability of ara-C to induce CPP32 cleavage and activation, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase degradation, and inhibition of colony formation. Western analysis of Bcl-2 protein obtained from overexpressing cells treated with bryostatin 1, staurosporine, or UCN-01 revealed the appearance of a slowly migrating species and a general broadening of the protein band, effects that were insensitive to the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. Alterations in Bcl-2 protein mobility on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis were reversed by treatment of lysates with alkaline phosphatase or protein phosphatase 2A; actions of the latter were blocked by the specific phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid. In vivo labeling studies of Bcl-2 protein demonstrated increased incorporation of [32PO4]orthophosphate in drug-treated cells. Last, phosphorylated Bcl-2 failed to display decreased binding to the proapoptotic protein Bax. Collectively, these findings indicate that bryostatin 1, which down-regulates PKC, and staurosporine and UCN-01, which directly inhibit the enzyme, circumvent resistance of Bcl-2-overexpressing leukemic cells to ara-C-induced apoptosis and activation of the protease cascade. They also raise the possibility that modulation of Bcl-2 phosphorylation status contributes to this effect.
 ...
PMID:Agents that down-regulate or inhibit protein kinase C circumvent resistance to 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine-induced apoptosis in human leukemia cells that overexpress Bcl-2. 939 80

We have previously described the isolation and characterization of an intact multiprotein complex for DNA replication, designated the DNA synthesome, from human breast cancer cells and biopsied human breast tumor tissue. The purified DNA synthesome was observed to fully support DNA replication in vitro. We had also proposed a model for the breast cell DNA synthesome, in which DNA polymerases alpha, delta, and epsilon, DNA primase, and replication factor C (RF-C) represent members of the core component, or tightly associated, proteins of the complex. This model was based on the observed fractionation, chromatographic, and sedimentation profiles for these proteins. We report here that poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) and DNA ligase 1 are also members of the breast cell DNA synthesome core component. More importantly, in this report we present the results of coimmunoprecipitation studies that were designed to map the protein-protein interactions between several members of the core component of the DNA synthesome. Consistent with our proposed model for the breast cell DNA synthesome, our data indicate that DNA polymerases alpha and delta, DNA primase, RF-C, as well as proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), tightly associate with each other in the complex, whereas DNA polymerase epsilon, PARP, and several other components were found to interact with the synthesome via a direct contact with only PCNA or DNA polymerase alpha. The association of PARP with the synthesome core suggests that this protein may serve a regulatory function in the complex. Also, the coimmunoprecipitation studies suggest that the three DNA polymerases alpha, delta, and epsilon all participate in the replication of breast cell DNA. To our knowledge this is the first report ever to describe the close physical association of polypeptides constituting the intact human breast cell DNA replication apparatus.
 ...
PMID:Mapping specific protein-protein interactions within the core component of the breast cell DNA synthesome. 956 11

We have studied the relationship between tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-sensitivity and doxorubicin-resistance in our doxorubicin-resistant cell line panel consisting of the parental cell line GLC4 plus GLC4-Adr2x and GLC4-Adr350x with respective resistance factors of 2 and 350 compared with GLC4. At the highest dose of 1000 ng/ml TNF, GLC4 was almost completely resistant to TNF, whereas 37% and 68% growth inhibition was observed in GLC4-Adr2x and GLC4-Adr350x, respectively. Sensitivity to TNF appeared to correlate inversely with the expression and gene copies of topoisomerase IIalpha in these cell lines. The gene encoding for c-erbB2 is in the proximity of the topoisomerase IIalpha gene and its product is a known cause for TNF-resistance. We found that our doxorubicin-resistant cell lines with decreased topoisomerase IIalpha gene copies have a simultaneous decrease in c-erbB2 gene copies, probably due to linkage between these 2 genes. This reduced number of c-erbB2 gene copies resulted in decreased c-erbB2 expression and subsequently in increased sensitivity to TNF. Additionally, we tried to establish some of the mechanisms associated with TNF-resistance in GLC4 related to c-erbB2 overexpression. There was no difference in TNF-receptor-1 expression between the cell lines. Compared with the TNF-sensitive GLC4-Adr350x, GLC4 appeared to have a decreased activation of NF-kappaB after exposure to TNF that might indicate a reduced TNF-receptor function. In GLC4, increased Bcl-2 expression was found, a protein described to confer TNF-resistance. Moreover, it was demonstrated that combining TNF with the poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors 6-aminonicotinamide and 3-aminobenzamide did not affect TNF-sensitivity in GLC4 and GLC4-Adr350x, excluding a pivotal role of PARP in TNF-resistance in these cell lines. In conclusion, our data show that doxorubicin-resistant tumor cell lines with decreased topoisomerase IIalpha gene copies can become sensitive to TNF due to loss of c-erbB2 gene copies. We also found that several mechanisms associated with c-erbB2 overexpressing contribute to TNF-resistance in GLC4.
 ...
PMID:Enhanced sensitivity to tumor necrosis factor-alpha in doxorubicin-resistant tumor cell lines due to down-regulated c-erbB2. 963

This paper reviews the functions of and connections between the presumed DNA damage sensors: poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK), the protein product of the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene, and the tumor suppressor, p53. Recognition of DNA damage is associated with the generation of alarm signals. The possible alarm signals include synthesis of poly(ADP-ribose) polymers and initiation of phosphorylation cascades by kinases complexed with the DNA damage sensors, DNA-PK and ATM; the role of other factors is discussed, among them BRCA1 and 2, IRF-1 and RB (retinoblastoma). Alarm signal molecules generated in the cytoplasm or plasma membrane are reactive oxygen species and ceramide. Some of the signal pathways are discussed. The p53 protein, which is poised in the central junction of the postirradiation signaling, as well as p53-independent signaling pathways form an intricate network that executes concerted and partly overlapping functions in the cellular response to ionizing radiation. These functions comprise activation of specific groups of genes, control of progression through the cell cycle checkpoints, inhibition of replication and transcription, induction of apoptosis, or an adaptive response; these features of the cellular response to radiation are discussed. They affect the fate of the irradiated mammalian cell as markedly as the DNA repair efficiency. This is shown in examples of the effect of inhibition of signaling on the adaptive response of human lymphocytes and on survival of tumor cells.
 ...
PMID:Monitoring and signaling of radiation-induced damage in mammalian cells. 980 12

Apoptosis is a mechanism of cell death that occurs in normal development and on the regulation of vertebrate tissues and organ cellularity. Neurons undergo p53-dependent and p53-independent apoptosis, depending upon the stimulus that triggers DNA fragmentation. Many neurons in the developing nervous system suffer apoptosis, with the cyclin D1 being an essential mediator of neuronal cell death. Other characteristics of apoptosis are: condensation of the nucleus, fragmentation of chromatin at nucleosome linkage sites, membrane blebbing, and the formation of apoptotic bodies. Among the possible molecular mechanisms are: (a) activation of proteases, as ICE (Il-1 beta converting enzyme); (b) calpain is activated in several cells, with PARP (Poly-ADP-ribose polymerase) and a small U1 Ribonucleoprotein, being substrates for ICE and its homologs such as ICH and others proteins. The p53 gene encodes a transcription factor that contributes to several different cellular activities, including apoptosis, the cellular response to radiation, and the activation of proteins such as GADD, Bcl-2 (represses to apoptosis) and Bax. P53 exerts a role as inductor of apoptosis by transactivating expression of the Bax gene. The p53 gene tumor suppressor limits cellular proliferation by including either the arrest of cell cycle in G1, or apoptosis, depending on the cellular context. The p21 is an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase, which is transactivated by p53. During apoptosis, there is an activation of both, c-myc, and the transcription factor NF-kB, which is a important regulator of apoptosis. As an example of signalization of apoptosis we have selected to illustrate the problem related to the system Fas/APO in thymocytes.
 ...
PMID:[Molecular bases of the programmed cell death process: implications of tumor suppressor protein p53 and other proteins in the control of cell cycle. Mechanisms of apoptotic action. Review]. 992 5

We have shown earlier that pre-treatment of V79 Chinese hamster cells with 6-aminonicotinamide (6-AN) or 2-deoxyglucose (2-dG) results in over-expression of the Mr 78,000 glucose-regulated stress protein (GRP78) and the subsequent development of resistance to inhibitors of topoisomerase II. These phenomena also occur in V79-derived cell lines that are deficient in poly(ADP-ribose) (p(ADPR)) metabolism. In contrast, over-expression of GRP78 under the conditions outlined above is found to be associated with hypersensitivity to several clinically-relevant DNA cross-linking agents, namely, 1,3-bis (2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU), cisplatin, and melphalan. We have also previously shown that pre-treatment with 6-AN, an inhibitor of p(ADPR) metabolism, causes an increase in the life span in BCNU-treated mice bearing L1210 tumors. These observations prompted us to examine whether 6-AN pre-treatment can result in the over-expression of GRP78 in human colon cancer cell lines and, if so, whether this increase is associated with sensitization to DNA cross-linking agents outlined above. Following treatment of three colon cancer cell lines, HCT116, SW480, and VACO-8, for 48 h with 0.1 mM 6-AN, cytosolic GRP78 levels were elevated approximately 4.2 times, 8 times, and 2.5 times for each cell line respectively, as measured by Western immunoblotting. To determine sensitivity after GRP78 up-regulation, the cells were washed and grown for 412 h in growth medium devoid of 6-AN, before being treated with DNA cross-linking agents. The 412 h time period allowed p(ADPR) metabolism to return to normal while GRP78 levels remained elevated, thus allowing us to associate GRP78 over-expression with sensitivity to those agents. After treating cells for 1 h with BCNU, cisplatin, or melphalan, cell sensitivity was determined by clonogenic survival assay or a fluorescence-based cytotoxicity assay. Based on changes in IC50 values, 6-AN caused an increase in sensitivity for HCT116, SW480, and VACO-8 cells of 1.5, 2.3, and 1.0 times, respectively, for BCNU, 4.8, 3.8, and 2.6 for cisplatin, and 6.4, 3.7, and 2.2 times for melphalan. Thus, our results show that over-expression of GRP78 in human tumor cell lines is associated with increased sensitivity to clinically useful chemotherapy agents. This sensitization occurred in three different tumor cell lines, each bearing a separate genetic defect associated with altered sensitivity.
 ...
PMID:Increased sensitivity of human colon cancer cells to DNA cross-linking agents after GRP78 up-regulation. 1019 18

Aging is associated with altered immune function. We previously reported that splenocytes and thymocytes undergo apoptosis with aging in rats. In the present study, we examined the expression of genes associated with apoptosis in splenocytes and thymus in aging rats. We evaluated the expression of bax, interleukin 1-beta-converting enzyme (ICE)/ced-3 protease family, caspase-3 and tumor suppressor gene p53. Rats in age groups of 6, 24, 48, and 96 weeks were sacrificed; thymocytes and splenocytes were isolated followed by lysis in a modified RIPA buffer containing protease inhibitors. Western blot analysis of proteins was performed by probing immunoblots with antibodies against p53, bax and PARP (poly ADP-ribose polymerase). Increased aging was associated with enhanced expression of bax, p53 and cleavage of PARP by Caspase-3. The expression of p53 and cleavage of PARP indicates the presence of damaged DNA; nevertheless, the cleavage of PARP or activation of caspase-3 may be playing an important role in the initiation of early events in apoptosis. These results suggest that aging of splenocytes and thymocytes is associated with the expression of cell death genes. The present study provides an insight into age-associated altered immune function.
 ...
PMID:Aging splenocyte and thymocyte apoptosis is associated with enhanced expression of p53, bax, and caspase-3. 1032 82


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>