Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P10415 (Bcl-2)
 33,771 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Taxol (paclitaxel) is known to inhibit cell growth and trigger significant apoptosis in various cancer cells. Although taxol induces apoptosis of cancer cells, its exact mechanism of action is not yet known. In this study we investigated death receptors, FAS-associated death domain protein (FADD), the activation of caspases-10 and -8 as well as the downstream caspases, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in taxol-induced apoptosis in the CCRF-HSB-2 human lymphoblastic leukemia cell line. Pretreating the cells with neutralizing antibodies to Fas, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha receptor 1, or TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptors (DR4 and DR5) did not affect taxol-induced apoptosis, but transfection of the cells with a dominant negative FADD plasmid resulted in inhibition of taxol-induced apoptosis, revealing that taxol induces apoptosis independently of these death receptors but dependently on FADD. Furthermore, the drug induced activation of caspases-10, -8, -6, and -3, cleaved Bcl-2, Bid, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and lamin B, and down-regulated cellular levels of FLICE-like inhibitory protein (FLIP) and X-chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP). However, despite the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria in taxol-treated cells, caspase-9 was not activated. Inhibitors of caspases-8, -6, or -3 partially inhibited taxol-induced apoptosis, whereas the caspase-10 inhibitor totally abrogated this process. Taxol-induced apoptosis was also associated with decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (Deltapsim) and a significant increase in ROS generation. However, increased ROS production was not directly involved in taxol-triggered apoptosis. Therefore, these results demonstrate for the first time that taxol induces FADD-dependent apoptosis primarily through activation of caspase-10 but independently of death receptors.
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PMID:Taxol induces caspase-10-dependent apoptosis. 1545 17

Angiogenesis is a critical event in tumor growth and metastasis, which can be inhibited by conventional anticancer drugs such as the microtubule-damaging agent paclitaxel (Taxol). In this study, we investigate the mechanism of action of paclitaxel on human endothelial cells. We characterize two distinct effects of paclitaxel on human umbilical vein endothelial cell and human microvascular endothelial cell-1 proliferation according to drug concentration: a cytostatic effect at low concentrations and a cytotoxic effect at concentrations > or =10 nmol/L. The cytotoxic effect involves signaling pathways similar to those described in tumor cells (i.e., microtubule network disturbance, G(2)-M arrest, increase in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and mitochondria permeabilization) that result in apoptosis. In sharp contrast, the cytostatic effect involves an inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation without apoptosis induction and without any structural modification of the microtubule network. This cytostatic effect is due to a slowing of the cell cycle rather than to an arrest in a specific phase of the cell cycle. In addition, paclitaxel, at cytostatic concentrations, early initiates an apoptotic signaling pathway associated with increases in the mitochondrial reducing potential, mitochondrial membrane potential, p53 expression, and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. However, this apoptotic pathway is stopped upstream of mitochondria permeabilization and it does not lead to endothelial cell death. Finally, we found that paclitaxel inhibits endothelial cell morphogenesis on Matrigel at all tested concentrations. In conclusion, we describe the mechanism of action of low concentrations of paclitaxel related to the antiangiogenic properties of this drug.
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PMID:Antiangiogenic activity of paclitaxel is associated with its cytostatic effect, mediated by the initiation but not completion of a mitochondrial apoptotic signaling pathway. 1548 97

We previously described that betulinic acid (BetA), a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid, induces apoptosis in tumor cells through the mitochondrial pathway. Here, for the first time, we provide evidence that BetA cooperated with anticancer drugs to induce apoptosis and to inhibit clonogenic survival of tumor cells. Combined treatment with BetA and anticancer drugs acted in concert to induce loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and the release of cytochrome c and Smac from mitochondria, resulting in activation of caspases and apoptosis. Overexpression of Bcl-2, which blocked mitochondrial perturbations, also inhibited the cooperative effect of BetA and anticancer drugs, indicating that cooperative interaction involved the mitochondrial pathway. Notably, cooperation of BetA and anticancer drugs was found for various cytotoxic compounds with different modes of action (e.g., doxorubicin, cisplatin, Taxol, VP16, or actino-mycin D). Importantly, BetA and anticancer drugs cooperated to induce apoptosis in different tumor cell lines, including p53 mutant cells, and also in primary tumor cells, but not in human fibroblasts indicating some tumor specificity. These findings indicate that using BetA as sensitizer in chemotherapy-based combination regimens may be a novel strategy to enhance the efficacy of anticancer therapy, which warrants further investigation.
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PMID:Sensitization for anticancer drug-induced apoptosis by betulinic Acid. 1580 21

Microtubule active drugs are used in the treatment of malignancies and their mechanism of action in cycling cells is to produce mitotic arrest followed by apoptosis. In this study, we investigate in detail the specificity and mechanism by which a microtubule de-polymerising agent, nocodazole, induces apoptosis in non-cyclingm, i.e. G(0)/G(1), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) B-cells. The majority of cases of CLL are sensitive (IC(50)<or=16 microM) but normal peripheral blood B-cells, which are also in G(0)/G(1), are resistant to the maximum in vitro concentration of this agent. Taxol, a microtubule stabilising drug does not kill CLL cells suggesting a specific effect of nocodazole. The mechanism of apoptosis involves mitochondrial membrane depolarisation, activation of caspases and cleavage of PARP. Nocodazole causes two patterns of change to Bcl-2 expression. In one there is increase in expression of the serine-70 phosphorylated form of Bcl-2 and in the other total Bcl-2 expression is reduced. Collectively the data shows that sensitivity to nocodazole-induced apoptosis is a feature of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and suggests that newer microtubule active agents be systematically investigated for their effectiveness in this condition.
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PMID:Nocodazole, a microtubule de-polymerising agent, induces apoptosis of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cells associated with changes in Bcl-2 phosphorylation and expression. 1616 58

Currently, there is no effective therapy for metastatic breast cancer after surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy have been used against the primary tumor. Because curcumin suppresses nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation and most chemotherapeutic agents activate NF-kappaB that mediates cell survival, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis, we hypothesized that curcumin would potentiate the effect of chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer and inhibit lung metastasis. We tested this hypothesis using paclitaxel (Taxol)-resistant breast cancer cells and a human breast cancer xenograft model. As examined by electrophoretic mobility gel shift assay, paclitaxel activated NF-kappaB in breast cancer cells and curcumin inhibited it; this inhibition was mediated through inhibition of IkappaBalpha kinase activation and IkappaBalpha phosphorylation and degradation. Curcumin also suppressed the paclitaxel-induced expression of antiapoptotic (XIAP, IAP-1, IAP-2, Bcl-2, and Bcl-xL), proliferative (cyclooxygenase 2, c-Myc, and cyclin D1), and metastatic proteins (vascular endothelial growth factor, matrix metalloproteinase-9, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1). It also enhanced apoptosis. In a human breast cancer xenograft model, dietary administration of curcumin significantly decreased the incidence of breast cancer metastasis to the lung and suppressed the expression of NF-kappaB, cyclooxygenase 2, and matrix metalloproteinase-9. Overall, our results indicate that curcumin, which is a pharmacologically safe compound, has a therapeutic potential in preventing breast cancer metastasis possibly through suppression of NF-kappaB and NF-kappaB-regulated gene products.
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PMID:Curcumin suppresses the paclitaxel-induced nuclear factor-kappaB pathway in breast cancer cells and inhibits lung metastasis of human breast cancer in nude mice. 1624 23

To evaluate the relevance of fragile histidine triad (FHIT) status in relation to drug treatment, we analyzed the sensitivity of the Fhit-negative non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line NCI-H460 to different drugs, after treatment with an adenoviral vector expressing the FHIT transgene. Expression of Fhit resulted in reduced sensitivity to etoposide, doxorubicin, and topotecan. This feature was associated with Fhit-induced downregulation of DNA topoisomerases I and II. In contrast, expression of Fhit did not modulate sensitivity to Taxol, but produced a slight increase in sensitivity to cisplatin, as shown by colony-forming assays. Analysis of apoptosis revealed that, after cisplatin exposure, the number of apoptotic cells was two-fold higher in Fhit-expressing H460 cells. Moreover, it appeared that wildtype p53 was required for sensitization to cisplatin because the effect was marginal in A549 and Calu-1 cells, where the p53 pathway is altered and simultaneous restoration of p53 and Fhit in Calu-1 cells increased cisplatin sensitivity. Fhit could also partially restore sensitivity to cisplatin in Bcl-2- and Bcl-x(L)-overexpressing H460 cells that are normally resistant to this drug. Our results support the possible relevance of FHIT in cisplatin-based chemotherapy as well as in the reversal of drug resistance in NSCLC.
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PMID:Increased sensitivity to cisplatin in non-small cell lung cancer cell lines after FHIT gene transfer. 1653 21

In the present study, we evidence how in breast cancer cells low doses of Taxol for 18 h determined the upregulation of p53 and p21 waf expression concomitantly with a decrease of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2. P53 and its gene product, the mdm2 protein, in treated cells exhibits a prevalent nuclear compartmentalization, thus potentiating p53 transactivatory properties. Indeed, the most important finding of this study consists with the evidence that Taxol at lower concentrations is able to produce the activation of p21 promoter via p53. Prolonged exposure of MCF-7 cells to Taxol (48 h) resulted in an increased co-association between p21 and PCNA compared to control and this well fits with the simultaneous block of cell cycle into the G2/M phase.
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PMID:Evidence that low doses of Taxol enhance the functional transactivatory properties of p53 on p21 waf promoter in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. 1661 41

In this report, the mechanism of the antitumor activities of Kushen flavonoids (KS-Fs) were explored. KS-Fs and kurarinone (Kur), a single flavonoid compound, were able to induce apoptosis of H460 and Eca-109 cells in vitro and H460 cells in vivo. The apoptosis inducing effect was enhanced in the presence of Taxol. In H460 xenograft mice treated with Kur, down-regulation of Bcl-2 and up-regulation of caspase 8 and caspase 3 in tumors were observed by immunohistochemical staining. In addition, KS-Fs and Kur were able to inhibit TNFalpha-induced NF-kappaB activation in 293 cells mediated by the decreased IkappaBalpha phosphorylation. Further the effects of KS-Fs and Kur on multiple receptor tyrosine kinase activities were explored. In cell-based assays, KS-Fs and Kur inhibited the EGF-induced EGF receptor phosphorylation in A431 cells and a constitutively activated Her-2 in MDA-MB-453s cells. In enzymatic assays, KS-Fs and Kur inhibited KDR, but not PDGF BR activities. In A431 xenograft mice treated with Kur, an inhibition of EGF receptor phosphorylation in tumors was observed. These results reveal a novel mechanism by which KS-Fs induces apoptosis in tumors by acting on multiple cellular targets including the inhibition of NF-kappaB activation and multiple receptor tyrosine kinase activities.
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PMID:Kushen flavonoids induce apoptosis in tumor cells by inhibition of NF-kappaB activation and multiple receptor tyrosine kinase activities. 1718 93

Paclitaxel (Taxol), an effective anticancer agent, is known to bind to tubulin and induce tubulin polymerization. Several other binding proteins of paclitaxel, such as Bcl-2, heat shock proteins, and NSC-1, have also been reported. Here, we describe a T7 phage-based display to screen for paclitaxel-binding molecules from a random peptide library using paclitaxel-photoimmobilized TentaGel resin. Specific phage particles that bind the paclitaxel-immobilized resin were obtained. Among them, two phage clones included the same consensus amino acid sequence (KACGRTRVTS). Analysis of the protein database using BLAST revealed that a portion of this sequence is conserved in the zinc finger domain of human NFX1. Binding affinity of paclitaxel against the partial recombinant protein of NFX1 (424aa-876aa) was confirmed by pull-down assays and surface plasmon resonance analyses.
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PMID:Screening of paclitaxel-binding molecules from a library of random peptides displayed on T7 phage particles using paclitaxel-photoimmobilized resin. 1797 24

Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1), a Bcl-2-like antiapoptotic protein, plays a role in cell immortalization and chemoresistance in a number of human malignancies. A peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase, Pin1 is involved in many cellular events, such as cell cycle progression, cell proliferation, and differentiation through isomerizing prophosphorylated substrates. It has been reported that down-regulation of Pin1 induces apoptosis, and that Erk phosphorylates and up-regulates Mcl-1; however, the underlying mechanisms for the two phenomena are not clear yet. Here, we showed that Pin 1 stabilizes Mcl-1, which is required for Mcl-1 posphorylation by Erk. First, we found expression of Mcl-1 and Pin1 were positively correlated and associated with poor survival in human breast cancer. We then showed that Erk could phosphorylate Mcl-1 at two consensus residues, Thr 92 and 163, which is required for the association of Mcl-1 and Pin1, resulting in stabilization of Mcl-1. Moreover, Pin1 is also required for the up-regulation of Mcl-1 by Erk activation. Based on this newly identified mechanism of Mcl-1 stabilization, two strategies were used to overcome Mcl-1-mediated chemoresistance: inhibiting Erk by Sorafenib, an approved clinical anticancer drug, or knocking down Pin1 by using a SiRNA technique. In conclusion, the current report not only unravels a novel mechanism to link Erk/Pin1 pathway and Mcl-1-mediated chemoresistance but also provides a plausible combination therapy, Taxol (Paclitaxel) plus Sorafenib, which was shown to be effective in killing breast cancer cells.
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PMID:Down-regulation of myeloid cell leukemia-1 through inhibiting Erk/Pin 1 pathway by sorafenib facilitates chemosensitization in breast cancer. 1867 33


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