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Query: UMLS:C0596263 (carcinogenesis)
 64,820 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Endometrial carcinomas are the most common malignancy of the female genital tract. Although the downregulation of the progesterone receptor (PR) in the progression of endometrioid carcinomas (ECs) has been well documented, the mechanism of PR alteration in endometrioid carcinogenesis is poorly understood. Recently, biochemical studies have shown that the DNA strand break-sensing molecule poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP-1) was associated with the DNA binding domain of PR. In our present study, we show that in normal endometrial epithelium, the expression level of PARP-1 protein is high in the proliferative phase but markedly decreases during the secretory phase. Interestingly, PARP-1 expression gradually increases in nonatypical and atypical endometrial hyperplasia, reaching its highest level in grade I, and decreases significantly toward grade III ECs. Notably, PARP-1 and PR expressions, in each stage, are positively correlated (p < 0.0001), with the exception of nonendometrioid carcinomas. Thus, these data suggest that PARP-1 is substantially involved in the regulation of progesterone action in the development of ECs.
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PMID:Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1, a novel partner of progesterone receptors in endometrial cancer and its precursors. 1496 67

Energy restriction (ER) inhibits mammary carcinogenesis and results in a marked reduction in tumor size, effects likely to be explained by ER-mediated induction of apoptosis. The goal of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanism(s) accounting for apoptosis induction. To do this, chemically induced mammary carcinomas were evaluated from rats that were ad libitum fed (control), 40% ER, or 40% ER but energy repleted for 7 days before study termination (ER-REP); the ER-REP group permitted the determination of the reversibility of ER-mediated effects. Cleaved products of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 were elevated by ER (P < 0.025) providing biochemical evidence of apoptosis induction. cDNA microarray analysis identified the Bcl-2, CARD, and IAP functional gene groupings as being involved in apoptosis induction. Consistent with the microarray data, the activities of caspases 9 and 3 were observed to be approximately 2-fold higher in carcinomas from ER rats (P < or =0.01), whereas caspase 8 activity was similar in carcinomas from all three of the groups. This evidence that ER-induced apoptosis mediated by the mitochondrial pathway was additionally supported by the finding that levels of Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, and XIAP protein were significantly lower (P < 0.01), and levels of Bax and Apaf-1 were elevated (P < 0.02) in ER carcinomas versus those carcinomas from control or ER-REP rats. Additional studies revealed that Akt phosphorylation (activation) was reduced in mammary carcinomas from ER rats. Thus, it appears that ER induces apoptosis in mammary carcinomas via a cell survival factor-dependent pathway.
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PMID:Identification of the apoptosis activation cascade induced in mammary carcinomas by energy restriction. 1497 70

To investigate the mechanistic basis for the biological properties of anthocyanins, two aglycone anthocyanins [delphinidin (DY) and cyanidin (CY)] were used to examine their effects on cell cycle progression and on induction of apoptosis in human cancer cells (uterine carcinoma and colon adenocarcinoma cells) and in normal human fibroblasts. These compounds differ in the number and position of hydroxyl groups on the beta ring in the molecular structure. Cellular uptake of anthocyanins was confirmed by HPLC analysis and no metabolites were detected. The clonogenic assay showed that CY induces a dose-dependent growth inhibitory effect only in fibroblasts. This effect was confirmed by flow cytometric analysis, showing a significant reduction of cells in S phase. In contrast, DP inhibited cell growth in normal and tumour cell lines. This event is accompanied in fibroblasts by an accumulation of cells in the S phase suggesting a block in the transition from S to G2 phase. On the other hand, in tumour cell lines we observed a reduction of cells in G1 phase, paralleled by the appearance of a fraction of cells with a hypodiploid DNA content, thus demonstrating an apoptotic effect by DP. The occurrence of apoptosis induced by DP was confirmed by morphological and biochemical features, including nuclear condensation and fragmentation, annexin V staining, DNA laddering and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1-proteolysis. Furthermore, the mitochondrial membrane potential of apoptotic cells after treatment with DP was significantly lost. The different effects exerted by DP as compared with CY suggest that the presence of the three hydroxyl groups on the beta ring in the molecular structure of DP may be important for its greater biological activity.
Carcinogenesis 2004 Aug
PMID:Anthocyanins induce cell cycle perturbations and apoptosis in different human cell lines. 1501 60

Bladder cancer is the fourth and eighth most common cancer in men and women in the USA, respectively. Flavonoid phytochemicals are being studied for both prevention and therapy of various human malignancies including bladder cancer. One such naturally occurring flavonoid is silibinin isolated from milk thistle. Here, we assessed the effect of silibinin on human bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) cell growth, cell cycle modulation and apoptosis induction, and associated molecular alterations, employing two different cell lines representing high-grade invasive tumor (TCC-SUP) and high-grade TCC (T-24) human bladder cancer. Silibinin treatment of these cells resulted in a significant dose- and time-dependent growth inhibition together with a G(1) arrest only at lower doses in TCC-SUP cells but at both lower and higher doses in T-24 cells; higher silibinin dose showed a G(2)/M arrest in TCC-SUP cells. In other studies, silibinin treatment strongly induced the expression of Cip1/p21 and Kip1/p27, but resulted in a decrease in cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and cyclins involved in G(1) progression. Silibinin treatment also showed an increased interaction between cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CDKIs)-CDKs and a decreased CDK kinase activity. Further, the G(2)/M arrest by silibinin in TCC-SUP cells was associated with a decrease in pCdc25c (Ser216), Cdc25c, pCdc2 (Tyr15), Cdc2 and cyclin B1 protein levels. In additional studies, silibinin showed a dose- and a time-dependent apoptotic death only in TCC-SUP cells that was associated with cleaved forms of caspase 3 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Together, these results suggest that silibinin modulates CDKI-CDK-cyclin cascade and activates caspase 3 causing growth inhibition and apoptotic death of human TCC cells, providing a strong rationale for future studies evaluating preventive and/or intervention strategies for silibinin in bladder cancer pre-clinical models.
Carcinogenesis 2004 Sep
PMID:Silibinin causes cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human bladder transitional cell carcinoma cells by regulating CDKI-CDK-cyclin cascade, and caspase 3 and PARP cleavages. 1511 15

The involvement of estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) in prostate carcinogenesis has been hypothesized. Several reports have shown that ERbeta expression was decreased when prostate cells undergo neoplastic transformation, suggesting that it could play a tumor-suppressor role. By restoring ERbeta expression in prostatic carcinoma cells by adenoviral delivery, we aimed to test this hypothesis. We observed that ERbeta strongly inhibited the invasiveness and the growth of these cells. In addition, ERbeta cells were undergoing apoptosis, as shown by quantification of Bax, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and caspase-3 expression. Our data suggest that ERbeta acts as a tumor-suppressor by its anti-proliferative, anti-invasive and pro-apoptotic properties.
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PMID:Expression of estrogen receptor beta in prostate carcinoma cells inhibits invasion and proliferation and triggers apoptosis. 1514 89

It has been reported that two inducible prostaglandin synthetic enzymes, cylooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and microsomal PGE synthase, are over-expressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, we analyzed RNA levels of the key prostaglandin catabolic enzyme, NAD+-linked 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), in 19 pairs of NSCLC tumors and adjacent non-malignant tissue from the same patient. We found that 100% of tumor-tissue pairs showed at least a 2-fold decrease and 61% showed a 10-fold decrease. This suggests that the increased expression of COX-2 and PGE synthase in tumors may work in concert with the decreased expression of 15-PGDH to amplify an increase in tissue levels of proliferative PGE2. To further explore if 15-PGDH is related to tumorigenesis, athymic nude mice were injected with control A549 cells or cells transiently over-expressing wild-type or mutant 15-PGDH (Y151F). It was found that mice injected with control A549 cells or with cells expressing mutant enzyme produced tumors normally. However, mice injected with A549 cells expressing wild-type 15-PGDH had a significant decrease in tumor growth. Examining the effects of 15-PGDH expression on cellular changes in A549 cells, we found that over-expression of 15-PGDH induced apoptosis of A549 cells as evidenced by fragmentation of DNA, activation of pro-caspase 3, cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and decreased expression of Bcl-2. We also found that the expression of 15-PGDH was negatively related to that of pro-adhesive and invasive CD44. Furthermore, the expression of 15-PGDH was found to be stimulated by hyaluronidase. These results suggest that 15-PGDH may decrease the level of proliferative PGE2, induce apoptosis and function like a tumor suppressor.
Carcinogenesis 2005 Jan
PMID:NAD+-linked 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) behaves as a tumor suppressor in lung cancer. 1535 36

alpha-Santalol, an active component of sandalwood oil, has been studied in detail in recent years for its skin cancer preventive efficacy in murine models of skin carcinogenesis; however, the mechanism of its efficacy is not defined. Two major biological events responsible for the clonal expansion of transformed/initiated cells into tumors are uncontrolled growth and loss of apoptotic death. Accordingly, in the present study, employing human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells, we assessed whether alpha-santalol causes cell growth inhibition and/or cell death by apoptosis. Treatment of cells with alpha-santalol at concentrations of 25-75 microM resulted in a concentration- and a time-dependent decrease in cell number, which was largely due to cell death. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis of Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) stained cells revealed that alpha-santalol induces a strong apoptosis as early as 3 h post-treatment, which increases further in a concentration- and a time-dependent manner up to 12 h. Mechanistic studies showed an involvement of caspase-3 activation and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage through activation of upstream caspase-8 and -9. Further, the treatment of cells with alpha-santalol also led to disruption of the mitochondrial membrane potential and cytochrome c release into the cytosol, thereby implicating the involvement of the mitochondrial pathway. Pre-treatment of cells with caspase-8 or -9 inhibitor, pan caspase inhibitor or cycloheximide totally blocked alpha-santalol-caused caspase-3 activity and cleavage, but only partially reversed apoptotic cell death. This suggests involvement of both caspase-dependent and -independent pathways, at least under caspase inhibiting conditions, in alpha-santalol-caused apoptosis. Together, this study for the first time identifies the apoptotic effect of alpha-santalol, and defines the mechanism of apoptotic cascade activated by this agent in A431 cells, which might be contributing to its overall cancer preventive efficacy in mouse skin cancer models.
Carcinogenesis 2005 Feb
PMID:Skin cancer chemopreventive agent, {alpha}-santalol, induces apoptotic death of human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells via caspase activation together with dissipation of mitochondrial membrane potential and cytochrome c release. 1552 19

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is a DNA strand break-driven post-translational modification of proteins catalyzed by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), with NAD+ serving as substrate. Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is triggered by DNA strand breaks, is functionally associated with DNA repair pathways and is a survival factor for cells under low to moderate levels of genotoxic stress. We have previously described a positive correlation between poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation capacity of mononuclear blood cells with longevity of mammalian species. Our comparison of purified recombinant human and rat PARP-1 revealed that this correlation might be explained in part by evolutionary sequence divergence. We have also developed molecular genetic approaches to modulate the poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation status in living cells. Our results revealed that PARP-1 acts as a negative regulator of DNA damage-induced genomic instability, the latter being known as an important driving force for carcinogenesis. Our recent data obtained in transgenic mice with selective expression of a dominant negative version of PARP-1 in basal skin keratinocytes indicate that PARP-1 activity suppresses skin papilloma formation in a two-stage skin carcinogenesis protocol. It is tempting to speculate that increased poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation capacity in long-lived species might help retard the accumulation of DNA damage and of mutations and thus slow down the rate of aging and of carcinogenesis more efficiently as compared with short-lived animals.
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PMID:Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation and aging. 1558 75

The damage to DNA caused by ultraviolet B radiation (280-320 nm) contributes significantly to development of sunlight-induced skin cancers. The susceptibility of mice to ultraviolet B-induced skin carcinogenesis is increased by an inhibitor of the DNA damage-activated nuclear enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP), hence PARP activation is likely to be associated with cellular responses that suppress carcinogenesis. To understand the role of activated PARP in these cellular functions, we need to first clearly identify the cause of PARP activation in ultraviolet B-irradiated cells. Ultraviolet B, like ultraviolet C, causes direct DNA damage of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer and 6, 4-photoproduct types, which are subjected to the nucleotide excision repair. Moreover, ultraviolet B also causes oxidative DNA damage, which is subjected to base excision repair. To identify which of these two types of DNA damage activates PARP, we examined mechanism of early PARP activation in mouse fibroblasts exposed to ultraviolet B and C radiations. The ultraviolet B-irradiated cells rapidly activated PARP in two distinct phases, initially within the first 5 minutes and later between 60-120 minutes, whereas ultraviolet C-irradiated cells showed only the immediate PARP activation. Using antioxidants, local irradiation, chromatin immunoprecipitation and in vitro PARP assays, we identified that ultraviolet radiation-induced direct DNA damage, such as thymine dimers, cause the initial PARP activation, whereas ultraviolet B-induced oxidative damage cause the second PARP activation. Our results suggest that cells can selectively activate PARP for participation in different cellular responses associated with different DNA lesions.
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PMID:Mechanism of early biphasic activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 in response to ultraviolet B radiation. 1565 79

Silymarin, a plant flavonoid, has been shown to inhibit skin carcinogenesis in mice. However, the mechanism responsible for the anti-skin carcinogenic effects of silymarin is not clearly understood. Here, we report that treatment of JB6 C141 cells (preneoplastic epidermal keratinocytes) and p53+/+ fibroblasts with silymarin and silibinin (a major constituent of silymarin) resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell viability and induction of apoptosis in an identical manner. Silymarin-induced apoptosis was determined by fluorescence staining (8-64% apoptosis) and flow cytometry (12-76% apoptosis). The silymarin-induced apoptosis was primarily p53 dependent because apoptosis occurred to a much greater extent in the cells expressing wild-type p53 (p53+/+, 9-61%) than in p53-deficient cells (p53-/-, 6-20%). The induction of apoptosis in JB6 C141 cells was associated with increased expression of the tumor suppressor protein, p53, and its phosphorylation at Ser15. The constitutive expression of antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl were decreased after silymarin treatment, whereas the expression of the proapoptotic protein Bax was increased. There was a shift in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in favor of apoptotic signal in silymarin-treated cells, which resulted in increased levels of cytochrome c release, apoptotic protease-activating factor-1, and cleaved caspase-3 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in JB6 C141 cells. The shift in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio was more prominent in p53+/+ fibroblasts than in p53-/- cells. Silymarin-induced apoptosis was blocked by the caspase inhibitor (Z-VAD-FMK) in JB6 C141 cells which suggested the role of caspase activation in the induction of apoptosis. These observations show that silymarin-induced apoptosis is primarily p53 dependent and mediated through the activation of caspase-3.
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PMID:Silymarin induces apoptosis primarily through a p53-dependent pathway involving Bcl-2/Bax, cytochrome c release, and caspase activation. 1571 92


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