Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P04637 (p53)
 77,613 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Little is known as yet about the role of apoptosis in pancreatic damage. This study evaluated the effects of supraphysiologic concentrations of the cholecystokinin (CCK) analog, cerulein, which causes cell damage in vitro and acute pancreatitis in vivo, on cell proliferation and DNA fragmentation in the rat pancreatic acinar cell line AR4-2J. Cerulein inhibited the cell proliferation of AR4-2J time- and dose-dependently to approximately 60% of the control level at 10(-6) M after 72 h. DNA fragmentation, as assessed by both electrophoresis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), occurred at cerulein concentrations > or = 10(-8) M. The maximal DNA fragmentation as measured by ELISA was reached after 24 h. Cerulein at concentrations > or = 10(-9) M induced wild-type p53. Glutathione (1 mM) diminished the effects of cerulein on both cell proliferation and DNA fragmentation, whereas spermine (100 microM), which partially attenuated DNA fragmentation, did not have an effect on cell proliferation. The CCK-A-receptor antagonist loxiglumide completely abolished the effect of cerulein on DNA fragmentation. The serine-protease inhibitor FUT-175 (10 microM), the cysteine-protease inhibitor NCO-700 (5 mM), and ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA; 500 microM) all had no effects on the changes in cell proliferation and DNA fragmentation induced by cerulein. The data suggest that supraphysiologic concentrations of cerulein rapidly induce apoptosis in AR4-2J cells and only later inhibit cell proliferation. These effects are mediated by CCK-A receptors. Cerulein-induced apoptosis may involve the induction of wild-type p53 or glutathione depletion or both.
 ...
PMID:Supraphysiologic concentrations of cerulein induce apoptosis in the rat pancreatic acinar cell line AR4-2J. 1041 96

Apoptosis is a genetically controlled form of cell death that ganglion cells undergo during normal development of the retina and in diseases affecting the optic nerve, such as glaucoma. This mechanism of cell death is controlled by specific genes and their products that are activated in the dying cell. To date, the mechanism of ganglion cell apoptosis is poorly understood, but research on cell death in other areas has provided a blueprint for the study of dying ganglion cells in animal models. Extensive research of the genetic pathways of apoptosis of neurons, in general, has yielded new information about the principal genes that are involved in this process. This review is meant to survey the major genetic players that are active in neuronal cell death and discuss their possible roles in retinal ganglion cells. One of the primary regulatory steps is the activation of the tumor-suppressor protein, p53. This protein functions as a transcription factor that can up-regulate the expression of the proapoptotic gene bax and down-regulate the expression of the antiapoptotic gene brl-2. Changes in the concentrations of these gene products can further stimulate apoptotic events, including changes in mitochondria that ultimately lead to the activation of a family of cysteine proteases called caspases that digest the dying cell from within. An understanding of the genetic pathways of apoptosis may lead to the design of new treatments that could prevent its activation or arrest the process when started.
 ...
PMID:Apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells in glaucoma: an update of the molecular pathways involved in cell death. 1041 58

The activation of the cysteine proteases with aspartate specificity, termed caspases, is of fundamental importance for the execution of programmed cell death. These proteases are highly specific in their action and activate or inhibit a variety of key protein molecules in the cell. Here, we study the effect of apoptosis on the integrity of two proteins that have critical roles in DNA damage signalling, cell cycle checkpoint controls, and genome maintenance-the product of the gene defective in ataxia telangiectasia, ATM, and the related protein ATR. We find that ATM but not ATR is specifically cleaved in cells induced to undergo apoptosis by a variety of stimuli. We establish that ATM cleavage in vivo is dependent on caspases, reveal that ATM is an efficient substrate for caspase 3 but not caspase 6 in vitro, and show that the in vitro caspase 3 cleavage pattern mirrors that in cells undergoing apoptosis. Strikingly, apoptotic cleavage of ATM in vivo abrogates its protein kinase activity against p53 but has no apparent effect on the DNA binding properties of ATM. These data suggest that the cleavage of ATM during apoptosis generates a kinase-inactive protein that acts, through its DNA binding ability, in a trans-dominant-negative fashion to prevent DNA repair and DNA damage signalling.
 ...
PMID:Cleavage and inactivation of ATM during apoptosis. 1045 55

Numerous studies in animal models and more recent studies in humans have demonstrated cancer chemopreventive effects with Se. There is extensive evidence that monomethylated forms of Se are critical metabolites for chemopreventive effects of Se. Induction of apoptosis in transformed cells is an important chemopreventive mechanism. Apoptosis can be triggered by micromolar levels of monomethylated forms of Se independent of DNA damage and in cells having a null p53 phenotype. Cell cycle protein kinase cdk2 and protein kinase C are strongly inhibited by various forms of Se. Inhibitory mechanisms involving modification of cysteine residues in proteins by Se have been proposed that involve formation of Se adducts of the selenotrisulfide (S-Se-S) or selenenylsulfide (S-Se) type or catalysis of disulfide formation. Selenium may facilitate reactions of protein cysteine residues by the transient formation of more reactive S-Se intermediates. A novel chemopreventive mechanism is proposed involving Se catalysis of reversible cysteine/disulfide transformations that occur in a number of redox-regulated proteins, including transcription factors. A time-limited activation mechanism for such proteins, with deactivation facilitated by Se, would allow normalization of critical cellular processes in the early stages of transformation. There is uncertainty at the present time regarding the role of selenoproteins in chemoprevention model systems where supranutritional levels of Se are employed. Mammalian thioredoxin reductase is one selenoprotein that shows increased activity with Se supplementation in the nutritional to supranutritional range. Enhanced thioredoxin reduction could have beneficial effects in oxidative stress, but possible adverse effects are considered. Other functions of thioredoxin reductase may be relevant to cell signaling pathways. The functional status of the thioredoxin/thioredoxin reductase system during in vivo chemoprevention with Se has not been established. Some in vitro studies have shown inhibitory effects of Se on the thioredoxin system correlated with growth inhibition by Se. A potential inactivating mechanism for thioredoxin reductase or other selenoenzymes involving formation of a stable diselenide form resistant to reduction is discussed. New aspects of Se biochemistry and possible functions of new selenoproteins in chemoprevention are described.
 ...
PMID:Selenium metabolism, selenoproteins and mechanisms of cancer prevention: complexities with thioredoxin reductase. 1046 8

Metallothionein (MT) is a low molecular weight, cysteine-rich, zinc-binding protein that may have a function in cellular repair processes, growth and differentiation. Using a monoclonal antibody (E9) to metallothionein, we investigated the immunohistochemical expression of MT in routinely fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue from 98 cases of female breast carcinomas. The MT expression was studied in comparison with the expression of the basement membrane (BM) antigens (type IV collagen, laminin), fibronectin, cathepsin D, adhesion molecule CD44, p53 protein, the pRb, c-erbB-2 oncoprotein, EGFR, stromelysin-1, proliferation indices (Ki-67, PCNA), steroid receptor content as well as with other conventional clinicopathological parameters of breast cancer. Strong MT expression was observed in the majority of tumour cells in 18.4% of tumours, focal MT positivity in 13.3% and almost complete lack of MT expression in 68.4% of cases (mean value 33.36 +/- 26.36). The MT expression in carcinoma cells was strongly associated with the DCIS component of the tumour (p < 0.0001). High values of MT were correlated with low steroid receptor status (p = 0.08 for ER receptor and p = 0.019 for PgR receptor content). MT positive cases were correlated with stromelysin-1 expression (p = 0.059) and cathepsin D (p = 0.058). These findings suggest that MT expression is characteristic of the early phase of breast carcinogenesis, possibly regulated by hormones, and could be a new potential prognostic marker in breast cancer.
 ...
PMID:Immunohistochemical localization of metallothionein in human breast cancer in comparison with cathepsin D, stromelysin-1, CD44, extracellular matrix components, P53, Rb, C-erbB-2, EGFR, steroid receptor content and proliferation. 1047 Jan 61

p53 regulates the expression of different genes that contain in their promoter a DNA sequence with two copies of the 10-base motif Pu(1)Pu(2)Pu(3)C(4)(A/T)(5)(T/A)(6)G(7)Py(8)Py(9)Py(10). This sequence is degenerated, and thymine or cytidine is found equally at position 3 or 8. These two bases make contact with cysteine-277 of the human p53. An in vitro study was carried out to determine whether p53 could be mutated at position 277 so that it binds preferentially to a sequence containing thymine or cytidine. Various mutant proteins were created and their DNA-binding specificity was determined by gel shift assay. Two of them show an altered specificity. The Cys277Ser protein binds preferentially to cytidine-containing sequences while the Cys277Ala mutant has a preference for thymine-containing sequences. This specificity is presumably achieved because an alanine residue at position 277 interacts with the thymine via hydrophobic interactions and a serine makes a hydrogen bond with the cytidine but not with the thymine.
 ...
PMID:Mutations at position 277 modify the DNA-binding specificity of human p53 in vitro. 1048 43

The ubiquitination pathway targets not only normal (short-lived) intracellular eukaryotic proteins for degradation when appropriate, but also serves to eliminate mutant/misfolded proteins from the cell. An understanding of the molecular basis of the interaction between the ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (E2s), ubiquitin protein ligases (E3s), and target proteins is essential to explain the process in normal cellular function and in disease. UbcM4 is the mouse ortholog of the human E2, UbcH7, which can participate in the in vitro degradation of many proteins including p53. We describe the characterization of the mouse UbcM4 gene and the identification of a UbcM4 pseudogene. Four UbcM4 transcripts of approximately 0.7, 1.5, 2.1, and 2.6 kb, observed on Northern blots, are differentiated by their utilization of alternative UbcM4 polyadenylation sites. A single alternative splice variant cDNA, termed UbcM4Deltaex2, was also identified. The polypeptide encoded by UbcM4Deltaex2 is incapable of forming an ubiquitin-thioester in contrast to UbcM4, despite retaining the key cysteine residue essential for ubiquitin thioester formation and the active site consensus sequence that defines the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme class. These observations are of particular relevance for analysis of UbcM4 function in vivo as our studies indicate that the targeted deletion of the coding exon absent in UbcM4Deltaex2 would produce an inactive UbcM4 protein and presents an alternative to disruption of its transcriptional initiation site/promoter region. Furthermore, it suggests that a similar strategy may be applicable to disrupt the function of other ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes in vivo.
 ...
PMID:Characterization of the mouse ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme gene UbcM4. 1050 66

The p53 tumor suppressor protein is a transcription factor that binds DNA in a sequence-specific manner through a protein domain stabilized by the coordination of zinc within a tetrahedral cluster of three cysteine residues and one histidine residue. We show that cadmium, a metal that binds thiols with high affinity and substitutes for zinc in the cysteinyl clusters of many proteins, inhibits the binding of recombinant, purified murine p53 to DNA. In human breast cancer MCF7 cells (expressing wild-type p53), exposure to cadmium (5-40 microM) disrupts native (wild-type) p53 conformation, inhibits DNA binding, and down-regulates transcriptional activation of a reporter gene. Cadmium at 10-30 microM impairs the p53 induction in response to DNA-damaging agents such as actinomycin D, methylmethane sulfonate, and hydrogen peroxide. Exposure to cadmium at 20 microM also suppresses the p53-dependent cell cycle arrest in G(1) and G(2)/M phases induced by gamma-irradiation. These observations indicate that cadmium at subtoxic levels impairs p53 function by inducing conformational changes in the wild-type protein. There is evidence that cadmium is carcinogenic to humans, in particular for lung and prostate, and cadmium is known to accumulate in several organs. This inhibition of p53 function could play a role in cadmium carcinogenicity.
 ...
PMID:Cadmium induces conformational modifications of wild-type p53 and suppresses p53 response to DNA damage in cultured cells. 1053 75

Apoptosis is a programmed cell death mechanism to control cell number in tissues and to eliminate individual cells that may lead to disease states. The present study investigates chromium(VI) (Cr(VI))-induced apoptosis and the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and p53 in this response. Treatment of human lung epithelial cells (A549) with Cr(VI) caused apoptosis as measured by DNA fragmentation, mitochondria damage, and cell morphology. Cr(VI)-induced apoptosis is contributed to ROS generation, resulting from cellular reduction of Cr(VI) as measured by flow cytometric analysis of the stained cells, oxygen consumption, and electron spin resonance spin trapping. Scavengers of ROS, such as catalase, aspirin, and N-acetyl-L-cysteine, decreased Cr(VI)-induced apoptosis, whereas NADPH and glutathione reductase, enhancers of Cr(VI)-induced ROS generation, increased it. p53 is activated by Cr(VI), mostly by ROS-mediated free radical reactions. Cr(VI)-induced ROS generation occurred within a few minutes after Cr(VI) treatment of the cells, whereas p53 induction took at least 5 h. The level of Cr(VI)-induced apoptosis was similar in both p53-positive cells and p53-negative cells independent of p53 status in the early stage (0-3 h) of Cr(VI) treatment. However, at the later stage (3-24 h), the level of the apoptosis is higher in p53-positive cells than in p53-negative cells. These results suggest that ROS generated through Cr(VI) reduction is responsible to the early stage of apoptosis, whereas p53 contributes to the late stage of apoptosis and is responsible for the enhancement of Cr(VI)-induced apoptosis at this stage.
 ...
PMID:Role of reactive oxygen species and p53 in chromium(VI)-induced apoptosis. 1057 74

Damage to bone tissue due to heat shock is one of the main causes of the failure of osseointegration at the bone-implant interface. To investigate the effect of heat shock on regeneration of bone tissue, osteoblasts were exposed to heat shock for 10 minutes at 42, 45, or 48 degrees C or kept at 37 degrees C as a control. After 10 minutes of heat shock, disruption of actin filaments was seen in the cells and the degree of disruption increased with the temperature. The cytoskeleton reassembled after a 12-hour incubation at 37 degrees C in the cells treated at 42 or 45 degrees C, but this reversible recovery did not occur in the cells treated at 48 degrees C. Flow cytometric analysis showed that heat shock at 48 degrees C increased the number of necrotic cells to 15-20% within minutes (p < 0.05 compared with 37 degrees C). Apoptosis, evidenced by annexin V staining, DNA laddering, and caspase 3 activation, started after 6-8 hours of incubation, reached a peak at 12 hours, and gradually declined (p<0.05). Pretreatment with the antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine reduced the necrosis induced at 48 degrees C of heat shock by one-half (p<0.05) but had no significant effect on caspase 3 activation induced by heat shock, suggesting that reactive oxygen species were critical in heat shock-induced necrosis but not in apoptosis. Heat shock at 48 degrees C induced a sustained translocation of p53 into the nucleus and a sustained activation of c-jun N-terminal kinase, whereas that at 42 and 45 degrees C induced only transient p53 translocation and c-jun N-terminal kinase activation. These results suggest that the sustained activation of p53 and c-jun N-terminal kinase pathways may contribute to heat shock-induced apoptosis. On the other hand, heat shock protein 70 increased dramatically in the cells treated at 45 or 48 degrees C, suggesting that the protecting mechanism in the cells was also activated. Such protection was able to prevent apoptosis in cells treated at 45 degrees C but not in those treated at 48 degrees C.
 ...
PMID:Heat shock-induced necrosis and apoptosis in osteoblasts. 1063 56


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