Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0027819 (neuroblastoma)
 27,800 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Amyloid precursor proteins (APPs) are expressed in multiple organs and cell types in diverse species. Their conservation across species and high abundance in brain and the association of various APP missense mutations with autosomal dominant forms of familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) suggest important roles for APP in the central nervous system. However, the basic functions of APP in the central nervous system remain largely unknown. To assess potential effects of APP on neuronal death and survival, we transfected APP-deficient rat neuroblastoma cells (B103) with DNA constructs encoding wild-type or FAD-mutant human APP. Wild-type, but not FAD-mutant, APP effectively protected cells against apoptosis induced by ultraviolet irradiation, staurosporine, or p53. Wild-type APP also strongly inhibited p53 DNA-binding activity and p53-mediated gene transactivation, whereas FAD-mutant APP did not. We conclude that APP protects neuronal cells against apoptosis by controlling p53 activation at the post-translational level. Disruption of this function by mutations or alterations in APP processing could enhance neuronal vulnerability to secondary insults and contribute to neuronal degeneration.
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PMID:Wild-type but not Alzheimer-mutant amyloid precursor protein confers resistance against p53-mediated apoptosis. 1037 52

We have identified specific iron (Fe) chelators of the pyridoxal isonicotinoyl hydrazone (PIH) class that are far more effective ligands than desferrioxamine (DFO; Richardson et al, Blood 86:4295, 1995; Richardson and Milnes, Blood 89:3025, 1997). In the present study, we have compared the effect of DFO and one of the most active chelators (2-hydroxy-1-naphthylaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone; 311) on molecular targets involved in proliferation. This was performed to further understand the mechanisms involved in the antitumor activity of Fe chelators. Ligand 311 was far more active than DFO at increasing Fe release from SK-N-MC neuroepithelioma and BE-2 neuroblastoma cells and preventing Fe uptake from transferrin. Like DFO, 311 increased the RNA-binding activity of the iron-regulatory proteins (IRPs). However, despite the far greater Fe chelation efficacy of 311 compared with DFO, a similar increase in IRP-RNA binding activity occurred after 2 to 4 hours of incubation with either chelator, and the binding activity was not inhibited by cycloheximide. These results suggest that, irrespective of the Fe chelation efficacy of a ligand, an increase IRP-RNA binding activity occurred via a time-dependent step that did not require protein synthesis. Further studies examined the effect of 311 and DFO on the expression of p53-transactivated genes that are crucial for cell cycle control and DNA repair, namely WAF1, GADD45, and mdm-2. Incubation of 3 different cell lines with DFO or 311 caused a pronounced concentration- and time-dependent increase in the expression of WAF1 and GADD45 mRNA, but not mdm-2 mRNA. In accordance with the distinct differences in Fe chelation efficacy and antiproliferative activity of DFO and 311, much higher concentrations of DFO (150 micromol/L) than 311 (2.5 to 5 micromol/L) were required to markedly increase GADD45 and WAF1 mRNA levels. The increase in GADD45 and WAF1 mRNA expression was seen only after 20 hours of incubation with the chelators and was reversible after removal of the ligands. In contrast to the chelators, the Fe(III) complexes of DFO and 311 had no effect on increasing GADD45 and WAF1 mRNA levels, suggesting that Fe chelation was required. Finally, the increase in GADD45 and WAF1 mRNAs appeared to occur by a p53-independent pathway in SK-N-MC and K562 cells, because these cell lines lack functional p53. Our results suggest that GADD45 and WAF1 may play important roles in the cell cycle arrest observed after exposure to these chelators.
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PMID:The potential of iron chelators of the pyridoxal isonicotinoyl hydrazone class as effective antiproliferative agents III: the effect of the ligands on molecular targets involved in proliferation. 1039 46

p73 gene, a new p53 homologue, has been identified: it supposedly acts as tumour suppressor gene in neuroblastoma. To clarify whether p73 might be involved in lung carcinogenesis, we examined p73 expression in resected lung cancer and paired normal lung in 60 cases using semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We also examined p73 gene status in three representative cases using Southern blot, and p53 gene alteration in 49 cases using PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and direct sequence. In 87% of the cases (52/60) p73 expression in tumour was more than twice as high as that in paired normal lung tissues, and the difference between p73 expression in tumour and normal lung tissue was significant (P < 0.0001). However, Southern blot analysis revealed that none of the cases showed p73 gene amplification. Compared with clinicopathological characteristics, p73 expression correlates significantly with histological differences and age of patient, independently (P < 0.05). Concerning p53 gene status, 43% (21/49) showed p53 gene alteration, but there was no correlation between p73 overexpression and p53 gene alteration. Our results suggest that need for further functional analysis of the role of p73 in lung carcinogenesis.
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PMID:The expression of p73 is increased in lung cancer, independent of p53 gene alteration. 1040 9

Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that aberration of the p53 tumour-suppressor gene is one of the pivotal genetic events in hepatocellular carcinogenesis. Recent reports suggest that the product of hepatitis B virus (HBV) interacts with p53 and that the hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein reduces p53 expression. A novel p73 gene, which is related to p53, has recently been identified and mapped to chromosome 1p36.3, which is a locus of multiple tumour-suppressor genes for many cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and neuroblastoma. Here, we investigated mRNA expression, allelotype and mutation of p73 in 48 HCCs obtained from untreated patients. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) revealed that p73 mRNA was expressed ubiquitously at low levels in all the tumour tissues, as well as in the adjacent normal liver tissues. The frequency of p73 loss of heterozygosity was observed in 20% of HCCs, but PCR-single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis showed no mutations in the 48 tumours except for three types of polymorphisms. These results suggest that p73 may play a role in hepatocellular carcinogenesis in a different manner from a Knudson two-hit model. The regulatory mechanism of interaction between p73 and hepatitis viruses remains to be determined.
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PMID:Absence of mutation of the p73 gene localized at chromosome 1p36.3 in hepatocellular carcinoma. 1040 9

We identified betulinic acid (BetA) as a new cytotoxic agent active against neuroectodermal tumor cells including neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma, glioblastoma and Ewing's sarcoma cells representing the most common solid tumors of childhood. BetA induced apoptosis independent of wild-type p53 protein and accumulation of death-inducing ligand/receptor systems such as CD95. BetA had a direct effect on mitochondria resulting in the release of soluble apoptogenic factors such as cytochrome c or AIF from mitochondria into the cytosol where they induced activation of caspases. Overexpression of the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 or Bcl-XL that blocked loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential and cytochrome c release from mitochondria conferred resistance to BetA at the level of mitochondrial dysfunction, protease activation and nuclear fragmentation. Neuroblastoma cells resistant to CD95- or doxorubicin-triggered apoptosis remained sensitive to treatment with BetA suggesting that BetA may bypass some forms of resistance. Moreover, BetA exhibited potent antitumor activity on primary tumor cell cultures from all neuroblastoma (4/4), all medulloblastoma (4/4) and most glioblastoma patients (20/24) ex vivo. These findings suggest that BetA may be a promising new agent in the treatment of neuroectodermal tumors in vivo.
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PMID:Betulinic acid: a new chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of neuroectodermal tumors. 1047 70

The Mdm2 oncoprotein mediates p53 degradation at cytoplasmic proteasomes and is the principal regulator for maintaining low, often undetectable levels of p53 in unstressed cells. However, a subset of human tumors including neuroblastoma constitutively harbor high levels of wild type p53 protein localized to the cytoplasm. Here we show that the abnormal p53 accumulation in such cells is due to a profound resistance to Mdm2-mediated degradation. Overexpression of Mdm2 in neuroblastoma (NB)(1) cell lines failed to decrease the high steady state levels of endogenous p53. Moreover, exogenous p53, when introduced into these cells, was also resistant to Mdm2-directed degradation. This resistance is not due to a lack of Mdm2 expression in NB cells or a lack of p53-Mdm2 interaction, nor is it due to a deficiency in the ubiquitination state of p53 or proteasome dysfunction. Instead, Mdm2-resistant p53 from NB cells is associated with covalent modification of p53 and masking of the modification-sensitive PAb 421 epitope. This system provides evidence for an important level of regulation of Mdm2-directed p53 destruction in vivo that is linked to p53 modification.
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PMID:Cytoplasmically "sequestered" wild type p53 protein is resistant to Mdm2-mediated degradation. 1048 81

Human catecholaminergic neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) have been widely used in different neurochemical investigations. Quite often these cells are induced to differentiation by various agents, such as staurosporine and retinoic acid. Interestingly, even though both staurosporine and retinoic acid induce similar morphological differentiation in SH-SY5Y cells, we found that these two groups of differentiated cells exhibited opposite vulnerability to harmful chemicals and physical insults. In the present study, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine (DSP-4), 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), and gamma-radiation were used to assess the tolerance of the differentiated cells. Cell viability was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Staurosporine-treated SH-SY5Y cells were more sensitive to these toxic insults than the untreated controls. In contrast, retinoic acid-treated cells became more resistant to the same treatments. The expression of the proteins of the protooncogene Bcl-2 and the tumor suppressor gene p53 following staurosporine or retinoic acid treatment was assessed by Western blot and immunocytochemistry. Retinoic acid increased Bcl-2 and decreased p53 levels, whereas staurosporine decreased Bcl-2 and increased p53 levels. The opposite alteration of Bcl-2 (anti-apoptotic) and p53 (apoptotic) contents in SH-SY5Y cells with retinoic acid and staurosporine are attributed to the changes in cell vulnerability. These observations also indicate that caution should be taken when chemically induced differentiated neuroblastoma cells are to be used as an in vitro model for studying neuronal survival.
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PMID:Differential effects of staurosporine and retinoic acid on the vulnerability of the SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells: involvement of bcl-2 and p53 proteins. 1051 16

Methylmercury (MeHg) is known to interfere with cell cycle progression by disruption of microtubules. The relationship between the changes in cell cycle and the induction of apoptosis caused by MeHg was investigated in cultured mammalian cells. MeHg caused nuclear fragmentation and DNA ladder formation in rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) and mouse neuroblastoma cells exposed to MeHg. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that the occurrence of apoptosis was preceded by the accumulation of cells in G2/M after MeHg treatment. Exposure to colchicine, a well-characterized mitotic inhibitor, also caused G2/M-phase arrest followed by the appearance of apoptotic cells. These results suggest that G2/M-phase arrest through the disruption of microtubules is an important event in the development of apoptosis by MeHg. MeHg treatment led to G2/M-phase arrest followed by apoptosis in nonneuronal HeLa cells also. Bcl-2 was phosphorylated by MeHg treatment in HeLa cells but not in PC12 cells; however, p53 expression was not changed in either cell line. Thus, MeHg induces apoptosis via a p53-independent pathway in both cell lines, however, different pathways may be activated after the disruption of microtubules in PC12 and HeLa cells.
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PMID:The involvement of microtubular disruption in methylmercury-induced apoptosis in neuronal and nonneuronal cell lines. 1054 62

p53 tumour suppressor protein levels and p53-dependent transcriptional activity have been recently shown to increase in cells treated with leptomycin B (LMB), an inhibitor of nuclear export. Experiments presented here show that LMB treatment leads to growth arrest and a senescence-like phenotype in human normal fibroblast cultures. This effect is reversible after removal of the drug and further passage by trypsinization. Instead, LMB has a strong cytotoxic effect on human neuroblastoma cell lines even at nanomolar concentrations. In both these cell types the effects of LMB are attenuated when the activity of the endogenous wild type p53 protein is abrogated by overexpression of a dominant negative p53 mutant. We conclude that the induction of the p53 response by LMB plays an important role in the effects of this drug on cultured cells.
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PMID:Effects on normal fibroblasts and neuroblastoma cells of the activation of the p53 response by the nuclear export inhibitor leptomycin B. 1060 94

p53 is a tumor suppressor protein important in the regulation of apoptosis. Because p53 functions as a transcription factor, cellular responses depend upon activity of p53 localized in the nucleus. Cytoplasmic sequestration of p53 has been proposed as a mechanism by which the function of this protein can be suppressed, particularly in tumor types such as neuroblastoma in which the frequency of mutations of p53 is low. Data presented here demonstrate that nuclear p53 protein is expressed in a panel of neuroblastoma cell lines, and after exposure to DNA damage, transcriptionally active p53 expression can be induced. After exposure to both equitoxic IC80 and 10-Gy doses of ionizing radiation, both p53 and p21 were induced, but G1 cell cycle arrest was attenuated. To investigate whether the DNA damage signaling pathway was incapable of inducing sufficient p53 in these cells, we expressed additional wild-type p53 after adenoviral vector transduction. This exogenous p53 expression also resulted in p21 induction but was unable to enhance the G1 arrest, suggesting that the pathway downstream from p53 is nonfunctional. Although p53-mediated G1 arrest is attenuated in neuroblastoma cells, the ability of p53 to induce apoptosis appears functional, consistent with its chemosensitive phenotype. This work demonstrates that p53 is expressed in the nucleus of neuroblastoma cells and can mediate induction of p21. However, this cell type appears to have an attenuated ability to mediate a DNA damage-induced G1 cell cycle arrest.
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PMID:Wild-type p53 can induce p21 and apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells but the DNA damage-induced G1 checkpoint function is attenuated. 1063 61


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