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Query: UNIPROT:P10415 (
Bcl-2
)
33,771
document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)
The present study investigated the antiapoptotic effects of estrogen in normal and cancer human cervical cells and the mechanisms involved. Baseline apoptosis in human cervical epithelial cells is mediated predominantly by P2X7-receptor-induced, Ca(2+)-dependent activation of the mitochondrial (caspase-9) pathway. Treatment with 10 nM 17beta-estradiol blocked apoptosis induced by the P2X7-receptor ligands ATP and 2',3'-0-(4-benzoylbenzoyl)-ATP in normal human cervical epithelial cells (hECEs) and attenuated the effect in hECEs immortalized with human papillomavirus-16 (ECE16-1) and the cancer cervical cells HT3 and CaSki. Diethylstilbestrol and to a lesser degree estrone could mimic the effects of 17beta-estradiol, whereas actinomycin-D and cycloheximide attenuated the response. The antiapoptotic effect of estrogen did not depend on cell cycle phase, and in both normal and cancer cervical cells, it involved attenuation of activation of caspase-9 and the terminal caspase-3. However, involvement of cascades upstream to the caspase-9 differed in normal vs. cancer cervical cells. In the normal hECEs estrogen blocked P2X7-receptor-induced calcium influx. In contrast, in the cancer CaSki cells, estrogen up-regulated expression of
Bcl-2
and attenuated Ca(2+)-induced mitochondrial swelling (i.e. formation of mitochondrial permeability transition pores). Estrogen had no effect on P2X7-receptor-induced apoptosis in the anaplastic SiHa and Hela cells. These results point to a novel antiapoptotic effect of estrogen in the cervix that is independent of its mitogenic function. The results also suggest that cancer cervical cells evolved antiapoptotic mechanisms that enable the cells to evade apoptosis and could therefore promote
tumor progression
.
...
PMID:Antiapoptotic effects of estrogen in normal and cancer human cervical epithelial cells. 1531 52
The synthetic retinoid N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4HPR) induces apoptosis in a variety of human cancer cells including breast carcinoma and this property may be important for its chemopreventive and therapeutic effects. Resistance to 4HPR has been described, however, the molecular mechanisms underlying sensitivity or resistance to this retinoid are not clear. Recently, it has been shown that the carbohydrate-binding protein galectin-3, which has been implicated in
tumor progression
, contains the anti-death motif NWGR present in the anti-apoptotic protein
Bcl-2
. To determine whether galectin-3 expression can abrogate the effect of 4HPR, we tested the effects of 4HPR on apoptosis of cell clones derived from the galectin-3 deficient human BT549 breast carcinoma cells after transfection with either wild type galectin-3 (BT549Gal-3Wt), galectin-3 inactivated by a point mutation in the NWGR motif (BT549Gal-3Mu), or empty vector control (BT549Vec). Both BT549Vec and BT549Gal-3Mu cells showed a marked decrease in survival after treatment with 4HPR principally due to induction of apoptosis. 4HPR-induced apoptosis in these cells was associated with stimulation of reactive oxygen species generation, decreased levels of
Bcl-2
protein, release of cytochrome c into the cytosol, increased caspase-3 activity, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage. In contrast, 4HPR failed to exert any of these effects in the BT549Gal-3Wt cells. The demonstration that galectin-3 suppresses 4HPR-induced apoptosis in human breast carcinoma cells suggests that the increased expression of galectin-3 during
cancer progression
may be associated with 4HPR resistance.
...
PMID:Inhibition of N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells by galectin-3. 1532 75
Activation of the so-called death receptors, e.g., CD95/Fas/Apo-1, is a potent stimulus to trigger apoptosis. Overexpression of the C-terminal FADD deletion mutant FADD-DN blocks death receptor-induced apoptosis, but despite this antiapoptotic activity, lck FADD-DN transgenic mice do not develop lymphomas. To analyze whether functional inactivation of FADD cooperates with Myc overexpression in tumorigenesis, lck FADD-DN transgenic mice were crossed with Emicro L-myc transoncogenic animals. While no tumors were detected in single transgenic FADD-DN or L-myc mice within 15 months, 5 of 17 (29%) FADD-DN/L-myc double transgenic animals developed lymphomas with an average latency period of 47 weeks. Protein analysis of FADD-DN/L-myc tumors showed, however, undetectable levels of FADD-DN protein. FADD-DN protein expression was again lost in 16 of 17 FADD-DN/p53 k.o. T-cell lymphomas, though no significant acceleration of tumorigenesis in P53-deficient lck FADD-DN mice compared to p53 k.o. animals was observed. These data suggest a strong counterselection against the FADD-DN protein during
tumor progression
, which could be explained by the cell cycle inhibitory activity of FADD-DN. Such counterselection would have to be compensated for by other antiapoptotic mutations, and indeed, strong upregulation of the antiapoptotic
Bcl-2
family member Bcl-xL was found in one of the tumors. This in vivo mouse model demonstrates that an antiapoptotic protein involved in the onset of tumorigenesis is selected against and consequently lost during
tumor progression
because of its additional antiproliferative activity.
...
PMID:Transgenic overexpression of a dominant negative mutant of FADD that, although counterselected during tumor progression, cooperates in L-myc-induced tumorigenesis. 1538 83
Transitional cell carcinoma of bladder (TCC) is a relatively common cancer among men.
Tumor progression
is associated with expression or modulation of several gene products that control apoptosis and proliferation. Apoptosis is a negative growth regulatory mechanism in tumors. The aim of this study is to examine apoptosis and related regulatory molecular markers in a group of patients with TCC. Paraffinembedded tissues from 49 patients with TCC were examined for the expression of bcl-2, p53 and Ki-67 by immunohistochemistry. Apoptosis was detected by TUNEL method. Correlation between apoptotic index (AI), proliferation index (PI) and bcl-2 and p53 expression with each other and with pathological grade was determined. Apoptosis was observed in 28.1% of TCC cases. The mean AI of all cases was 13.7+/-24. No correlation was found between apoptosis and differentiation status of carcinoma.
Bcl-2
expression was weakly detected in only one sample. P53 expression was detected in 26 of cases with mean staining index of 102+/-96. A significant correlation between p53 and Ki-67 staining indices was observed (r=0.521, p=0.001). Both p53 and Ki-67 expression showed a good association with the pathological grade (p=0.0001 and p=0.004, respectively). None of the markers showed significant correlation with AI and no correlation was found between the ratio of AI to PI and other parameters either. In conclusion, the frequency of apoptosis in TCC of bladder appears not to be associated with tumor grade, and with bcl-2, p53 and Ki-67 expression.
...
PMID:Apoptosis in transitional cell carcinoma of bladder and its relation to proliferation and expression of p53 and bcl-2. 1544 51
Ezrin is a member of the ezrin-radixin-moesin family of proteins that link the actin-containing cytoskeleton to the plasma membrane. Ezrin is also connected to signaling molecules involved in the regulation of cell survival, proliferation and migration. Here, we examined the expression of ezrin in 95 primary cutaneous melanomas and correlated ezrin expression with conventional prognostic factors and biomarkers. From 12 patients metastatic tissue samples were also examined. In addition to ezrin staining, Mib-1 proliferation antigen, p53 and
Bcl-2
were evaluated. Ezrin immunoreactivity was seen in most tumors; only 19 (20%) melanomas were negative. A total of 48 (51%) tumors had weak immunoreactivity and 28 (29%) strong immunoreactivity. The intensity of ezrin immunoreactivity was associated with tumor thickness (Breslow, P=0.0008) and with tumor invasion level (Clark, P=0.004), thicker tumors having stronger immunoreactivity. Also, there was a correlation between higher Mib-1 index in tumors and strong ezrin expression. All metastatic samples (n=12) showed positive ezrin immunoreactivity. In univariate analysis of survival, patients (n=76) with positive ezrin immunoreactivity had worse clinical disease behavior than those (n=19) without ezrin immunoreactivity, but the difference was not significant (P=0.19). In multivariate analysis of survival, the ezrin immunoreactivity was not a significant marker. The results indicate that ezrin is expressed in most primary melanomas of the skin and in all metastatic tumors. Ezrin expression correlates with tumor thickness and level of invasion suggesting an association between ezrin expression and
tumor progression
.
...
PMID:Ezrin in primary cutaneous melanoma. 1547 29
Bcl-2
, the protein product of the
Bcl-2
gene, is a member of the
Bcl-2
family of proteins that play a crucial role in a complex mechanism of apoptosis. It was recently proposed that bcl-2 could inhibit
cancer progression
. In this study, we evaluated the expression patterns of
Bcl-2
, estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR) in 71 primary invasive breast carcinomas and their association with other clinicopathological parameters. Samples from 71 patients with invasive breast cancer with follow-up ranging from 4-103 months (median 57 months) were included in the study. Forty-six patients (66%) obtained a complete response, while 5 (9%) were considered non-responders during the follow up period of 103 months. Eighteen (25%) patients died, 15 (21%) from primary disease and 3 (4%) from other disease. In unvaried analysis, tumor size (<2 cm), lymph node (<4 lymph nodes), hormonal status and
Bcl-2
expression are correlated with longer overall (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS). Patients with 4 or more positive axillary lymph nodes had significantly shorter OS (p=0.01) and RFS (p=0.009). Higher expression of
Bcl-2
was associated with longer OS (p=0.02) and RFS (p=0.03), and this result were independent of axillary lymph nodes and tumor size in Cox multivariate analysis.
...
PMID:The Bcl-2 protein: a prognostic indicator strongly related to ER and PR in breast cancer. 1562 88
The proteasome plays a critical role in the degradation of proteins involved in the regulation of cell cycle, apoptosis, and angiogenesis. Bortezomib is the first in a new class of antineoplastic agents known as proteasome inhibitors to become available for clinical use. Bortezomib targets pathways relevant to
tumor progression
and therapy resistance and can directly modulate expression of cyclins, p27kip1, p53, nuclear factor-kB,
Bcl-2
, and Bax. In in vitro and in vivo, growth inhibition and apoptosis have been observed in tumor cells following exposure to bortezomib. Currently, bortezomib is approved for the treatment of patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma who have received > or =2 therapies and progressed on their most recent therapy. Efforts are now being directed toward exploring the use of bortezomib in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Clinical trials using bortezomib as monotherapy or in combinations, such as with taxanes, gemcitabine and platinums, and novel agents are under way, and preliminary results have demonstrated activity with bortezomib as a single agent and in combination with chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC. In addition, pharmacogenomics and biomarker analysis are being used in an attempt to identify tumor types likely to respond to treatment with bortezomib.
...
PMID:Use of proteasome inhibition in the treatment of lung cancer. 1563 66
Overexpression of the interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) alpha chain in tumor cells is associated with
tumor progression
and a poor patient prognosis. IL-2Ralpha is responsible for the high affinity binding of the receptor to IL-2, leading to activation of several proliferative and anti-apoptotic intracellular signaling pathways. We have previously shown that human squamous cell carcinoma of a head-and-neck line (PCI-13) genetically engineered to overexpress IL-2Ralpha exhibit increased transforming activity, proliferation, and drug resistance, compared to the vector control cells (J Cell Biochem 2003;89:824-836). In this study, we report that IL-2Ralpha(+) cells express high levels of total and phosphorylated Jak3 protein and are more resistant to apoptosis induced by a Jak3 inhibitor than the control LacZ cells. Furthermore, we used daclizumab, a monoclonal antibody specific to IL-2Ralpha, and determined the effects of IL-2Ralpha inhibition on cell cycle and apoptosis as well as the involvement of potential cell cycle and apoptosis regulatory proteins. We found that daclizumab induces G(1) arrest, associated with down-regulation of cyclin A protein, preferentially in IL-2Ralpha(+) cells, but not in LacZ cells. In addition, daclizumab activates apoptotic death program via
Bcl-2
down-regulation preferentially in IL-2Ralpha(+) cells. Finally, daclizumab also sensitizes IL-2Ralpha(+) cells to other apoptotic stimuli, although the effect is moderate. These results indicate that daclizumab inhibits the proliferative potential of IL-2Ralpha(+) cells via inhibition of cell cycle progression and induction of apoptosis.
...
PMID:Direct inhibition of interleukin-2 receptor alpha-mediated signaling pathway induces G1 arrest and apoptosis in human head-and-neck cancer cells. 1577 2
Disturbance in expression of estrogen receptors together with changing influence of growth factor receptors and apoptosis associated proteins plays a role in breast cancer development and progression. However, immunohistochemical detection and relationships among these proteins were not often considered in relation to breast cancer and a few evaluations of expression provided mismatching results and conclusions. Consequently, we examined by immunohistochemistry the expression of the insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR), estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and apoptosis-associated proteins,
Bcl-2
and Bax, in human primary breast cancer, as well as analyzing the relationships among these proteins. The positive immunostaining for IGF-IR, ERalpha,
Bcl-2
and Bax was noted in 56, 63.8, 82.8 and 50% of tumors, respectively. We observed that IGF-IR negatively correlated with ERalpha in the group of all tumors and in axillary node negative cancer (p<0.03, p<0.05, respectively), but not in the subgroup of node positive cancer. Expression of ERalpha correlated positively with
Bcl-2
and negatively with Bax proteins (p<0.0001, p<0.05, respectively). We did not note significant relationships between IGF-IR and
Bcl-2
, or IGF-IR and Bax proteins. We found that increased Bax expression was associated with positive lymph node status, pT2 stage and G3 grade of tumors. Knowledge about alterations in the IGF-IR expression and relations of the receptor to other biological factors could help in our understanding of breast cancer biology and the importance of the IGF-IR in
cancer progression
as well as in effective management of breast cancer.
...
PMID:Expression of insulin-like growth factor-I receptor, estrogen receptor alpha, Bcl-2 and Bax proteins in human breast cancer. 1594 74
Aerobic life consumes oxygen for efficient production of high energy compounds. The ability to sense and respond to changes in oxygen partial pressure represents a fundamental property to assure the cellular oxygen supply to be within a narrow range that balances the risks of oxidative damage vs. oxygen deficiency. The discovery of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) allowed the identification of molecular mechanisms by which changes in oxygenation are transduced to adequate intracellular adaptive responses. It became apparent that hypoxia can initiate cell demise by apoptosis/necrosis but also prevent cell death by provoking adaptive responses that, in turn, facilitate cell proliferation or angiogenesis, thus contributing to
tumor progression
. Considering that activation of HIF-1 provokes pro-survival as well as pro-death decisions under hypoxia, it will be crucial to understand decision making processes in regulating cell death, adaptation and chemoresistance. Likely, secondary stressors such as pH changes, i.e. acidosis, and the context of genetic alterations will shape the role of HIF-1 to affect susceptibility of cells to undergo hypoxia-induced cell death or to allow adaptation and progression towards malignancy. Understanding the mechanisms by which HIF-1 affects the expression and/or function of key apoptotic regulators such as
Bcl-2
family members or p53 will help to uncover how HIF-1 induces cell death and the manner in which cells can overcome such signals and thus determine which of its Janus faces prevail.
...
PMID:Tumor hypoxia and cancer progression. 1600 9
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