Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0699790 (colon cancer)
28,837 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Trimerization of the Fas receptor (CD95, APO-1), a membrane bound protein, triggers cell death by apoptosis. The main death pathway activated by Fas receptor involves the adaptor protein FADD (for Fas-associated death domain) that connects Fas receptor to the caspase cascade. Anticancer drugs have been shown to enhance both Fas receptor and Fas ligand expression on tumor cells. The contribution of Fas ligand-Fas receptor interactions to the cytotoxic activity of these drugs remains controversial. Here, we show that neither the antagonistic anti-Fas antibody ZB4 nor the Fas-IgG molecule inhibit drug-induced apoptosis in three different cell lines. The expression of Fas ligand on the plasma membrane, which is identified in untreated U937 human leukemic cells but remains undetectable in untreated HT29 and HCT116 human colon cancer cell lines, is not modified by exposure to various cytotoxic agents. These drugs induce the clustering of Fas receptor, as observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy, and its interaction with FADD, as demonstrated by co-immunoprecipitation. Overexpression of FADD by stable transfection sensitizes tumor cells to drug-induced cell death and cytotoxicity, whereas down-regulation of FADD by transient transfection of an antisense construct decreases tumor cell sensitivity to drug-induced apoptosis. These results were confirmed by transient transfection of constructs encoding either a FADD dominant negative mutant or MC159 or E8 viral proteins that inhibit the FADD/caspase-8 pathway. These results suggest that drug-induced cell death involves the Fas/FADD pathway in a Fas ligand-independent fashion.
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PMID:Fas ligand-independent, FADD-mediated activation of the Fas death pathway by anticancer drugs. 1007 97

We have previously shown that treatment by anticancer drugs sensitized tumor cells to Fas (APO-1/CD95)-mediated cell death. The present study demonstrates that the cytotoxic drugs cisplatin, doxorubicin and mitomycin C induce the accumulation of the Fas receptor, the FADD adaptor molecule, the procaspases-8, -3 and -2L and the proapoptotic molecule Bax in several human colon cancer cells. This upregulation is also observed in U3A myeloblastoma cells that do not express STAT-1, a transcription factor involved in the constitutive expression of procaspases. We conclude that anticancer drugs sensitize tumor cells to Fas-mediated cell death by a STAT-1-independent upregulation of molecules involved in this apoptotic pathway.
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PMID:STAT-1-independent upregulation of FADD and procaspase-3 and -8 in cancer cells treated with cytotoxic drugs. 1008 Sep 45

Cancer cells often resist Fas-mediated apoptosis even when the Fas receptor is expressed at the cell surface. We show here that human and rat colon cancer cells undergo massive apoptosis when they are exposed to soluble Fas ligand in the presence of sodium butyrate, an agent that induces by itself only a low rate of apoptosis. Sodium butyrate potentiates Fas-dependent apoptosis in seven out of eight colon cancer cell lines. Sodium butyrate does not increase Fas receptor cell surface expression and does not modify cell levels of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, Bcl-xS and Bax. Sodium butyrate also induces tumor cell sensitization to the apoptotic effect of the combination of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma, but it does not modify the level of the FADD/Mort1 adaptator molecule, at the connection between Fas- and TNF-dependent apoptosis pathways. Because the clinical toxicity of butyrate is low, its ability to enhance Fas-signal delivery in cancer cells could be of therapeutic interest.
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PMID:Cancer cell sensitization to fas-mediated apoptosis by sodium butyrate. 1020 Apr 99

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) generates a potent cytotoxic effect, however many cancer cells are resistant to TNFalpha-mediated killing and the cause of the differential sensitivity remains to be elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that TNFalpha induced cell death in four different human colon cancer cell lines. The degree of cytotoxic effect was different in each cell line, in that HCT-15 was relatively sensitive, while DLD-1, HT-29 and WiDr were relatively resistant. TNFalpha induced apoptotic changes such as morphological changes, DNA fragmentation and activation of caspase-3 in HCT-15, but to a lesser degree in the others. Transcriptional expression of TNFR1(p55), as well as that of FLICE, Fas, FADD, DR3, FAF, TRADD, and RIP was similar in these cell lines, indicating that the susceptibility to TNFalpha-induced apoptosis may not be determined by the constitutive expression level of these factors. Interestingly, the cytotoxic effect of TNFalpha was well correlated with the DNA binding activity of NF-kappaB in the colon cancer cell lines. Further, the overexpression of a non-phosphorylated mutant form of IkappaBalpha enhanced the cytotoxicity of TNFalpha in the resistant cell line, DLD-1, indicating that NF-kappaB activity may determine the sensitivity of colon cancer cells to TNFalpha-induced apoptosis. Thus, our results indicate that modulation of NF-kappaB activity may provide a useful tool to sensitize colon cancer cells to TNFalpha treatment.
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PMID:Activation of NF-kappaB determines the sensitivity of human colon cancer cells to TNFalpha-induced apoptosis. 1078 20

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a potent inducer of apoptosis of transformed and cancer cells but not of most normal cells. Recent studies have revealed an unforeseen toxicity of TRAIL toward normal human hepatocytes, thereby bringing into question the safety of systemic administration of TRAIL in humans with cancer. We found that SW480 colon adenocarcinoma, or H460 non-small cell lung cancer cell lines, which are sensitive to TRAIL, were not protected by the caspase 9 inhibitor Z-LEHD-FMK from TRAIL-induced apoptosis. However, a human colon cancer cell line HCT116 and a human embryonic kidney cell line 293, which are sensitive to TRAIL, were protected by Z-LEHD-FMK from TRAIL-mediated death. Both HCT116 and SW480 cells were protected from TRAIL by the caspase 8 inhibitor Z-IETD-FMK, dominant-negative FADD and cellular FLIP-s and interestingly both cell lines displayed caspase 9 cleavage to a similar extent after TRAIL exposure. We confirmed that normal human liver cells are sensitive to TRAIL. Moreover, we found that normal human liver cells could be protected from TRAIL-induced apoptosis by simultaneous exposure to Z-LEHD-FMK. A similar brief exposure to TRAIL plus Z-LEHD-FMK inhibited colony growth of SW480 but not HCT116 cells. Because some cancer cell lines are not protected from TRAIL-mediated killing by Z-LEHD-FMK, we believe that a brief period of caspase 9 inhibition during TRAIL administration may widen the therapeutic window and allow cancer cell killing while protecting normal liver cells. This strategy could be further developed in the effort to advance TRAIL into clinical trials.
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PMID:The caspase 9 inhibitor Z-LEHD-FMK protects human liver cells while permitting death of cancer cells exposed to tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand. 1110 80

Type I cells have been defined to be independent of mitochondria for the induction of Fas death receptor-mediated apoptosis, whereas Type II cells are mitochondria-dependent. Knock-out studies in mice show that thymocytes are Type I and liver cells are Type II. We have previously shown that primary human hepatocytes and HCT116 human colon carcinoma cells behave like Type II cells because TRAIL-induced apoptosis can be blocked by the caspase 9 inhibitor, Z-LEHD-FMK. On the other hand, caspase 9 inhibition does not allow survival of TRAIL-treated SW480 colon cancer cells, which is predicted for Type I cells. Investigating the differences in TRAIL-induced apoptotic pathways in HCT116 and SW480 cells revealed that although FADD, BID, and procaspase 3 protein levels are higher in SW480 cells, and although procaspase 8 and FLIP processing is more efficient at the TRAIL-DISC of SW480 cells, BID, procaspase 3, XIAP, and PARP cleavages occur more rapidly in HCT116, despite the higher levels of BCL-2 and HSP70. Cytochrome c release from the mitochondria to the cytoplasm is more efficient in HCT116 cells. These results suggest BID cleavage as a possible limiting factor in the involvement of mitochondria in TRAIL-induced cell death. Thus, regulation of BID cleavage may define if a cell is mitochondria-dependent or -independent in response to TRAIL death receptor-induced apoptosis.
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PMID:Defining characteristics of Types I and II apoptotic cells in response to TRAIL. 1240 50

Resveratrol, a polyphenol found in grape skin and various other food products, may function as a cancer chemopreventive agent for colon and other malignant tumors and possesses a chemotherapeutic potential through its ability to trigger apoptosis in tumor cells. The present study analyses the molecular mechanisms of resveratrol-induced apoptosis in colon cancer cells, with special attention to the role of the death receptor Fas in this pathway. We show that, in the 10-100 microm range of concentrations, resveratrol activates various caspases and triggers apoptosis in SW480 human colon cancer cells. Caspase activation is associated with accumulation of the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bak that undergo conformational changes and relocalization to the mitochondria. Resveratrol does not modulate the expression of Fas and Fas-ligand (FasL) at the surface of cancer cells, and inhibition of the Fas/FasL interaction does not influence the apoptotic response to the molecule. Resveratrol induces the clustering of Fas and its redistribution in cholesterol and sphingolipid-rich fractions of SW480 cells, together with FADD and procaspase-8. This redistribution is associated with the formation of a death-inducing signaling complex (DISC). Transient transfection of either a dominant-negative mutant of FADD, E8, or MC159 viral proteins that interfere with the DISC function, decreases the apoptotic response of SW480 cells to resveratrol and partially prevents resveratrol-induced Bax and Bak conformational changes. Altogether, these results indicate that the ability of resveratrol to induce the redistribution of Fas receptor in membrane rafts may contribute to the molecule's ability to trigger apoptosis in colon cancer cells.
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PMID:Resveratrol-induced apoptosis is associated with Fas redistribution in the rafts and the formation of a death-inducing signaling complex in colon cancer cells. 1290 49

We demonstrate that PS-341, a small molecule inhibitor of the proteasome, markedly sensitizes resistant prostate, colon, and bladder cancer cells to TNF-like apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced apoptosis irrespective of Bcl-xL overexpression. PS-341 treatment by itself does not affect the levels of Bax, Bak, caspases 3 and 8, c-Flip or FADD, but elevates levels of TRAIL receptors DR4 and DR5. This increase in receptor protein levels is associated with the ubiquitination of the DR5 protein. When PS-341 is combined with TRAIL, the levels of activated caspase 8 and cleaved Bid are substantially increased. In Bax-negative TRAIL-resistant HC-4 colon cancer cells, the combination of PS-341 and TRAIL overcomes the block to activation of the mitochondrial pathway and causes SMAC and cytochrome c release followed by apoptosis. Similarly, murine embryonic fibroblasts lacking Bax undergo apoptosis when exposed to the combination of PS-341 and TRAIL; however, fibroblasts lacking Bak are significantly resistant. Taken together, these findings indicate that PS-341 enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis by increasing the cleavage of caspase 8, causing Bak-dependent release of mitochondrial proapoptotic proteins.
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PMID:The proteasome inhibitor PS-341 overcomes TRAIL resistance in Bax and caspase 9-negative or Bcl-xL overexpressing cells. 1290 78

In this report, we demonstrate that a 50% ethanol extract of the plant-derived product, Chios mastic gum (CMG), contains compounds which inhibit proliferation and induce death of HCT116 human colon cancer cells in vitro. CMG-treatment induces cell arrest at G(1), detachment of the cells from the substrate, activation of pro-caspases-8, -9 and -3, and causes several morphological changes typical of apoptosis in cell organelles. These events, furthermore, are time- and dose-dependent, but p53- and p21-independent. Apoptosis induction by CMG is not inhibited in HCT116 cell clones expressing high levels of the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, or dominant-negative FADD, thereby indicating that CMG induces cell death via a yet-to-be identified pathway, unrelated to the death receptor- and mitochondrion-dependent pathways. The findings presented here suggest that CMG (a) induces an anoikis form of cell death in HCT116 colon cancer cells that includes events associated with caspase-dependent pathways; and (b) might be developed into a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of human colon and other cancers.
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PMID:Antiproliferative activity and induction of apoptosis in human colon cancer cells treated in vitro with constituents of a product derived from Pistacia lentiscus L. var. chia. 1671 22

This review describes some aspects of uncontrolled tumor growth and development. In the past, it has been shown that colon adenocarcinomas use several tactics to avoid cell deletion and to maintain cell viability. In particular, colorectal cancer cells resist death ligands-induced apoptosis by expressing anti-apoptotic proteins. By direct interaction with FADD, the FLIP protein inhibits the signal transmission from death receptors to their cytoplasmic targets in COLO 205 cells. Colorectal cancer cells also stimulate own survival by inhibiting cytotoxic signals induced by interferons. Moreover, IFN-alpha increases immune-resistance of colon cancer cells by activation of NF-kappaB. Additionally, the cytoplasmic retention of proapoptotic protein clusterin also supports viability of cancer cells. Upon suitable stimulation normal cells are featured by clusterin translocation to the nucleus with concomitant cell death. We found that proapoptotic activity of clusterin is dependent on calcium ions, and depletion of intracellular calcium caused extensive death of COLO 205 cells. Other type of strategy to inhibit chemotherapy-dependent cell death is the activity of multidrug resistance proteins (MDR). These cell membrane efflux pumps actively expel the drugs from the cell interior to prevent their action on intracellular targets. The reversal of P-gp efflux pump in chemoresistant COLO 320 cell line was observed upon phenothiazine derivatives. The variety of antiapoptotic mechanisms in colorectal cancer cells makes anticancer therapy a great challenge but detailed knowledge of their complexicity gives promise to sensitize cancer cells to death stimuli.
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PMID:Overview how adenocarcinoma cancer cells avoid immune- and chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. 1735 75


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