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)

We investigated the modulation of radio- and chemoresistance by caffeine and mechanisms of resistance in human leukemic cell lines and mononuclear cells from 18 leukemic patients. Caffeine synergistically potentiated cytotoxicity and apoptosis induced by ionizing radiation or carboplatin (CPt), but attenuated induction of apoptosis by daunorubicin (DNR) in KG-1a cells. Since caffeine released irradiated as well as DNR-treated KG-1a cells from G2M cell cycle arrest and CPt-treated cells from S-phase arrest, this release does not fully explain the different effects of caffeine. Caffeine synergistically reduced the level of the apoptosis inhibitor glutathione after irradiation or CPt treatment. In contrast, treatment with DNR plus caffeine diminished glutathione levels to a lesser extent than DNR alone. We conclude that the effect of caffeine on glutathione depletion represents a mechanism of action by which caffeine can modulate apoptosis. Caffeine increased CPt cytotoxicity in K562 cells and its doxorubicin-resistant subline (K562/ADM), but little effect was seen in HL-60 cells or mononuclear cells from leukemic patients. Multivariate cluster analysis revealed an association of CPt resistance with the expression of c-Fos, c-N-Ras, and p53 oncoproteins and with proliferative activity (S-phase of cell cycle), but not with Bcl-2 expression.
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PMID:Expression of apoptosis-related oncoproteins and modulation of apoptosis by caffeine in human leukemic cells. 759 28

Pancreatic cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States. Despite many recent advances in the treatment modalities, the mortality rate still remains very high. Paclitaxel (Taxol) and Caffeine have been used for the treatment of this disease, however the molecular mechanisms of these agents are not fully understood, which may be partly responsible for the failure of these agents in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines, HPAC and PANC-1 containing wild-type and mutant p53 respectively, were used to investigate the effects of Taxol and Caffeine on cell growth, and their effects on the modulation of cell cycle and apoptosis related genes. Protein extracts from these cells treated with 100 nM of Taxol or 4 mM of Caffeine were subjected to Western blot analysis for this study. Drug treated cells were also analyzed to calculate the number of cells undergoing apoptosis. Dose and time dependent growth inhibition was observed in both PANC-1 and HPAC cells when treated with either Taxol or Caffeine. Western blot analysis showed an up-regulation of p21WAF1 in both cell lines treated with either Taxol or Caffeine. Furthermore, down-regulation of cyclin B and cdk1 was observed in Taxol and Caffeine treated HPAC cells. However, the results were drastically different in PANC-1 cells where cyclin B was down regulated only by Caffeine treatment and the level of cdk1 protein was undetectable in this cell line. Moreover, up-regulation of p53 and down-regulation of Bcl-2 was observed only in HPAC cells treated with Taxol. Apoptotic cell death analysis showed increasing number of cells undergoing apoptosis between 24 and 48 h of Caffeine treatment, however only Taxol showed greater than 50% cells under-going apoptosis only in HPAC cells. The up-regulation of p21WAF1 and down-regulation of cyclin B and cdk1 suggest their possible roles in G2/M cell cycle arrest caused by both Taxol and Caffeine as reported earlier. From these results we conclude that the differential molecular changes observed in this study may determine the cellular effects of these agents on pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells and that the effects of chemotherapeutic agents may be determined by the endogenous status of p53 mutation and, in turn, may determine the therapeutic effects of these agents in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
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PMID:Molecular effects of taxol and caffeine on pancreatic cancer cells. 1053 72

Recent studies have suggested a central role for Ca(2+) in the signaling pathway of apoptosis and certain anti-apoptotic effects of Bcl-2 family of proteins have been attributed to changes in intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis. Here we report that depletion of Ca(2+) from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) leads to apoptosis in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Stable expression of ryanodine receptor (RyR) in these cells enables rapid and reversible changes of both cytosolic Ca(2+) and ER Ca(2+) content via activation of the RyR/Ca(2+) release channel by caffeine and ryanodine. Sustained depletion of the ER Ca(2+) store leads to apoptosis in Chinese hamster ovary cells, whereas co-expression of Bcl-xL and RyR in these cells prevents apoptotic cell death but not necrotic cell death. The anti-apoptotic effect of Bcl-xL does not correlate with changes in either the Ca(2+) release process from the ER or the capacitative Ca(2+) entry through the plasma membrane. The data suggest that Bcl-xL likely prevents apoptosis of cells at a stage downstream of ER Ca(2+) release and capacitative Ca(2+) entry.
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PMID:Depletion of intracellular Ca2+ by caffeine and ryanodine induces apoptosis of chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with ryanodine receptor. 1076 5

Interactions between the checkpoint abrogator UCN-01 and several pharmacological inhibitors of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase (MEK)/MAPK pathway have been examined in a variety of human leukemia cell lines. Exposure of U937 monocytic leukemia cells to a marginally toxic concentration of UCN-01 (e.g., 150 nM) for 18 h resulted in phosphorylation/activation of p42/44 MAPK. Coadministration of the MEK inhibitor PD184352 (10 microM) blocked UCN-01-induced MAPK activation and was accompanied by marked mitochondrial damage (e.g., cytochrome c release and loss of DeltaPsi(m)), caspase activation, DNA fragmentation, and apoptosis. Similar interactions were noted in the case of other MEK inhibitors (e.g., PD98059; U0126) as well as in multiple other leukemia cell types (e.g., HL-60, Jurkat, CCRF-CEM, and Raji). Coadministration of PD184352 and UCN-01 resulted in reduced binding of the cdc25C phosphatase to 14-3-3 proteins, enhanced dephosphorylation/activation of p34(cdc2), and diminished phosphorylation of cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein. The ability of UCN-01, when combined with PD184352, to antagonize cdc25C/14-3-3 protein binding, promote dephosphorylation of p34(cdc2), and potentiate apoptosis was mimicked by the ataxia telangectasia mutation inhibitor caffeine. In contrast, cotreatment of cells with UCN-01 and PD184352 did not substantially increase c-Jun-NH(2)-terminal kinase activation nor did it alter expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-x(L), Bax, or X-inhibitor of apoptosis. However, coexposure of U937 cells to UCN-01 and PD184352 induced a marked increase in p38 MAPK activation. Moreover, SB203580, which inhibits multiple kinases including p38 MAPK, partially antagonized cell death. Lastly, although UCN-01 +/- PD184352 did not induce p21(CIP1), stable expression of a p21(CIP1) antisense construct significantly increased susceptibility to this drug combination. Together, these findings indicate that exposure of leukemic cells to UCN-01 leads to activation of the MAPK cascade and that interruption of this process by MEK inhibition triggers perturbations in several signaling and cell cycle regulatory pathways that culminate in mitochondrial injury, caspase activation, and apoptosis. They also raise the possibility that disrupting multiple signaling pathways, e.g., by combining UCN-01 with MEK inhibitors, may represent a novel antileukemic strategy.
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PMID:Pharmacological inhibitors of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase/MAPK cascade interact synergistically with UCN-01 to induce mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in human leukemia cells. 1143 48

Interactions between the protein kinase inhibitor UCN-01 and the PKC activator phorbol ester (PMA) have been examined in relation to differentiation and apoptosis in human myelomonocytic leukemia cells (U937). Coadministratation of 100 nM UCN-01 with a low concentration of PMA e.g., 2 nM, inhibited rather than promoted differentiation, reflected by reduced surface expression of the monocytic maturation marker CD11b and diminished cell adherence. Instead, administration of UCN-01 with PMA led to a marked increase in mitochondrial injury (e.g, cytochrome c release), activation of caspases-3 and -8, Bid cleavage, PARP degradation, and apoptosis, accompanied by a substantial reduction in viability and clonogenic survival. These phenomena were associated with multiple perturbations in cell cycle regulatory events, including abrogation of p21(CIP1) induction, p27(KIP1) cleavage, down-regulation of cyclin D1, dephosphorylation (activation) of p34cdc2, and degradation of underphosphorylated pRb. Potentiation of PMA-mediated apoptosis was partially mimicked by caffeine suggesting the involvement of Chk1 in the potentiation of apoptosis. Induction of cell death by UCN-01 and PMA was increased in cells stably expressing a p21(CIP1) mRNA antisense construct, suggesting that p21(CIP1) expression may protect cells from the lethal effects of this drug combination. Finally, ectopic expression of a Bcl-2 but not dominant-negative caspase-8 protected cells from UCN-01/PMA-mediated apoptosis, suggesting the lethal effects of this combination primarily involves the mitochondrial rather than the TNF-related extrinsic apoptotic pathway. Taken together, these findings suggest that UCN-01 disrupts a variety of cell cycle events in leukemic cells exposed to the maturation-inducing agent PMA, causing cells to engage an apoptotic rather than a differentiation-related program.
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PMID:UCN-01 (7-hydroxystauorsporine) blocks PMA-induced maturation and reciprocally promotes apoptosis in human myelomonocytic leukemia cells (U937). 1242 43

The impact of disruption of the PI3K (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase) pathway on the response of human leukemia cells to pharmacological cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors has been examined. Exposure of U937 monocytic leukemia cells to minimally toxic concentrations of flavopiridol (FP), roscovitine, or CGP74514A for 3 h in conjunction with the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 (abbreviated LY in the article) resulted in a marked decrease in Akt phosphorylation. Coexposure of cells to LY and CDK inhibitors also resulted in an early (i.e., within 3 h) and striking increase in mitochondrial damage [e.g., cytochrome c, second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases/direct inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP)-binding protein with low isoelectric point (Smac/DIABLO), and apoptosis-initiating factor (AIF) release], caspase activation, and apoptosis. Similar interactions were observed in a variety of other leukemia cell types (e.g., HL-60, Jurkat, Raji, and NB4). Apoptosis, induced by FP/LY, was substantially blocked by ectopic expression of Bcl-2, but to a considerably lesser extent by dominant-negative caspase-8. FP-induced apoptosis was not enhanced by agents that inhibited protein kinase (PK) A (H89), PKC (GFX), mitogen-activated protein (MAP)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase (MEK1/2; U0126), p38 MAP kinase (MAPK; SB202190), m-target of rapamycin (TOR; rapamycin), or ataxia-telangiectasia mutation (ATM; caffeine), whereas the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin exerted effects similar to those of LY. The dramatic potentiation of CDK inhibitor-induced apoptosis by LY was accompanied by diminished Bad phosphorylation, induction of Bcl-2 cleavage, and down-regulation of X-linked IAP (XIAP) and Mcl-1. Cells exposed to CDK inhibitors + LY also exhibited reduced phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3, forkhead transcription factor (FKHR), p70(S6K), and ERK, but increased activation of p34(cdc2) and p38 MAPK. LY/CDK inhibitor-treated cells also displayed diminished pRb dephosphorylation on CDK2- and CDK4-specific sites, retinoblastoma protein cleavage, and down-regulation of cyclin D(1). Inducible expression of constitutively active (myristolated) Akt significantly, albeit partially, attenuated apoptosis in Jurkat leukemia cells treated with either FP alone or the combination of FP and LY. Finally, cotreatment with LY and FP resulted in a dramatic increase in apoptosis in primary leukemic blasts obtained from a patient with acute myeloblastic leukemia. Together, these findings suggest that the PI3K/Akt pathway plays a major role in regulating the apoptotic response of human leukemia cells to pharmacological CDK inhibitors and raise the possibility that combined interruption of CDK- and PI3K-related pathways may represent a novel therapeutic strategy in hematological malignancies.
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PMID:The lethal effects of pharmacological cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors in human leukemia cells proceed through a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt-dependent process. 1270 69

Genistein, biochanin-A, and daidzein, the predominant soy isoflavones, have been reported to lower the risk of cancer, but it is not known whether they protect against human hepatoma cancer. This study was designed to investigate their effects on cell growth, the cell cycle, and apoptosis induction in the human hepatoma cell lines, HepG2, Hep3B, Huh7, PLC, and HA22T. Genistein, biochanin-A, and daidzein inhibited growth of all five lines in a dose-dependent manner. DNA fragmentation studies and the TUNEL assay demonstrated that isoflavones caused tumor cell death by induction of apoptosis. Activation of caspase-3 and cleavage of the caspase-3 substrate, poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase, was seen in hepatoma cells after 24 hours' exposure to isoflavones. In addition, isoflavone cytotoxicity correlated with downregulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL expression. Synergistic effects of the three isoflavones were observed on cell growth inhibition, apoptosis induction, and anti-apoptotic protein expression. Flow cytometry showed that genistein, but not biochanin-A or daidzein, induced progressive and sustained accumulation of hepatoma cancer cells in the G2/M phase as a result of inhibition of Cdc2 kinase activity. Coapplication of caffeine prevented this cell cycle arrest, but not apoptosis, showing that cell cycle arrest was not necessary for apoptosis. Furthermore, the isoflavones combination also had a significant tumor-suppressive effect in nude mice. These results suggest that isoflavones might be promising agents for the treatment of human hepatoma.
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PMID:Effects of soy isoflavones on apoptosis induction and G2-M arrest in human hepatoma cells involvement of caspase-3 activation, Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL downregulation, and Cdc2 kinase activity. 1279 11

Caffeine is the main psychoactive ingredient of coffee, tea and even colas. This study investigated the radioprotection of caffeine in mice. Mice were irradiated with 6.5 Gy. A caffeinetreated group was administered 80 mg/kg-body weight by an i.p injection at 1 hour before irradiation. At 6 hours after irradiation, the animals were sacrificed for the study. Hormonal analysis was performed with radioimmunoassay on serum. The expression kinetics of the apoptotic genes after irradiation was evaluated with RT-PCR. The weight of body and organ and H and E-stained slides did not show differences between groups. The circulating testosterone significantly decreased in the irradiated group. The expression of Fas antigen, p21, p53, bax and bcl2 related to radiation- induced apoptosis was comparable to that of the caffeine-untreated group. Bax mRNA dramatically increased in the irradiated group, but not in the irradiated caffeine -treated group. The results indicate that caffeine protects an early apoptotic initiation after irradiation.
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PMID:Evaluation of caffeine as a radioprotector in whole-body irradiated male mice. 1279 86

Previous studies have suggested two possible roles for Rad9 in mammalian cells subjected to replication stress or DNA damage. One model suggests that a Rad9-containing clamp is loaded onto damaged DNA, where it participates in Chk1 activation and subsequent events that contribute to cell survival. The other model suggests that Rad9 translocates to mitochondria, where it triggers apoptosis by binding to and inhibiting Bcl-2 and Bcl-x(L). To further study the role of Rad9, parental and Rad9(-/-) murine embryonic stem (ES) cells were treated with camptothecin, etoposide, or cytarabine, all prototypic examples of three classes of widely used anticancer agents. All three agents induced Rad9 chromatin binding. Each of these agents also triggered S-phase checkpoint activation in parental ES cells, as indicated by a caffeine-inhibitable decrease in [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA and Cdc25A down-regulation. Interestingly, the ability of cytarabine to activate the S-phase checkpoint was severely compromised in Rad9(-/-) cells, whereas activation of this checkpoint by camptothecin and etoposide was unaltered, suggesting that the action of cytarabine is readily distinguished from that of classical topoisomerase poisons. Nonetheless, Rad9 deletion sensitized ES cells to the cytotoxic effects of all three agents, as evidenced by enhanced apoptosis and diminished colony formation. Collectively, these results suggest that the predominant role of Rad9 in ES cells is to promote survival after replicative stress and topoisomerase-mediated DNA damage.
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PMID:Rad9 protects cells from topoisomerase poison-induced cell death. 1498 9

Recent studies demonstrated that resveratrol, a grape-derived polyphenolic phytoalexin, provides pharmacological preconditioning (PC) of the heart through a NO-dependent mechanism. Because adenosine receptors play a role in PC, we examined whether they play any role in resveratrol PC. Rats were randomly assigned to groups perfused for 15 min with 1) Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer (KHB) only; 2) KHB containing 10 microM resveratrol; 3) 10 microM resveratrol + 1 microM 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dimethylxanthine (CPT; adenosine A(1) receptor blocker); 4) 10 microM resveratrol + 1 microM 8-(3-chlorostyryl)caffeine (CSC; adenosine A(2a) receptor blocker); 5) 10 microM resveratrol + 1 microM 3-ethyl-5-benzyl-2-methyl-4-phenylethynyl-6-phenyl-1,4-(+/-)-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxylate (MRS-1191; adenosine A(3) receptor blocker); or 6) 10 microM resveratrol + 3 microM 2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-1(4H)-benzopyran-4-one hydrochloride [LY-294002, phosphatidylinositol (PI)3-kinase inhibitor], and groups perfused with adenosine receptor blockers alone. Hearts were then subjected to 30-min ischemia followed by 2-h reperfusion. The results demonstrated significant cardioprotection with resveratrol evidenced by improved ventricular recovery and reduced infarct size and cardiomyocyte apoptosis. CPT and MRS 1191, but not CSC, abrogated the cardioprotective abilities of resveratrol, suggesting a role of adenosine A(1) and A(3) receptors in resveratrol PC. Resveratrol induced expression of Bcl-2 and caused its phosphorylation along with phosphorylation of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), Akt, and Bad. CPT blocked phosphorylation of Akt and Bad without affecting CREB, whereas MRS 1191 blocked phosphorylation of all compounds, including CREB. LY-294002 partially blocked the cardioprotective abilities of resveratrol. The results indicate that resveratrol preconditions the heart through activation of adenosine A(1) and A(3) receptors, the former transmitting a survival signal through PI3-kinase-Akt-Bcl-2 signaling pathway and the latter protecting the heart through a CREB-dependent Bcl-2 pathway in addition to an Akt-Bcl-2 pathway.
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PMID:Pharmacological preconditioning with resveratrol: role of CREB-dependent Bcl-2 signaling via adenosine A3 receptor activation. 1534 77


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