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

We have studied the relationship between tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-sensitivity and doxorubicin-resistance in our doxorubicin-resistant cell line panel consisting of the parental cell line GLC4 plus GLC4-Adr2x and GLC4-Adr350x with respective resistance factors of 2 and 350 compared with GLC4. At the highest dose of 1000 ng/ml TNF, GLC4 was almost completely resistant to TNF, whereas 37% and 68% growth inhibition was observed in GLC4-Adr2x and GLC4-Adr350x, respectively. Sensitivity to TNF appeared to correlate inversely with the expression and gene copies of topoisomerase IIalpha in these cell lines. The gene encoding for c-erbB2 is in the proximity of the topoisomerase IIalpha gene and its product is a known cause for TNF-resistance. We found that our doxorubicin-resistant cell lines with decreased topoisomerase IIalpha gene copies have a simultaneous decrease in c-erbB2 gene copies, probably due to linkage between these 2 genes. This reduced number of c-erbB2 gene copies resulted in decreased c-erbB2 expression and subsequently in increased sensitivity to TNF. Additionally, we tried to establish some of the mechanisms associated with TNF-resistance in GLC4 related to c-erbB2 overexpression. There was no difference in TNF-receptor-1 expression between the cell lines. Compared with the TNF-sensitive GLC4-Adr350x, GLC4 appeared to have a decreased activation of NF-kappaB after exposure to TNF that might indicate a reduced TNF-receptor function. In GLC4, increased Bcl-2 expression was found, a protein described to confer TNF-resistance. Moreover, it was demonstrated that combining TNF with the poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors 6-aminonicotinamide and 3-aminobenzamide did not affect TNF-sensitivity in GLC4 and GLC4-Adr350x, excluding a pivotal role of PARP in TNF-resistance in these cell lines. In conclusion, our data show that doxorubicin-resistant tumor cell lines with decreased topoisomerase IIalpha gene copies can become sensitive to TNF due to loss of c-erbB2 gene copies. We also found that several mechanisms associated with c-erbB2 overexpressing contribute to TNF-resistance in GLC4.
 ...
PMID:Enhanced sensitivity to tumor necrosis factor-alpha in doxorubicin-resistant tumor cell lines due to down-regulated c-erbB2. 963

Caspases are aspartate-specific cysteine proteases that play a pivotal role in drug-induced cell death. We designed RT-PCR assays to analyse the expression of CASP-3, CASP-4, CASP-6 and the long and short isoforms of CASP-2 genes in human cells. These genes heterogeneously coexpress in leukemic cell lines and bone marrow samples from patients with de novo acute myelogenous leukemia at diagnosis. Treatment of U937 and HL60 leukemic cells and HT29 colon carcinoma cells with the topoisomerase II inhibitor etoposide upregulates CASP-2 and CASP-3 genes in these cells before inducing their apoptosis. This effect of etoposide is not observed in K562 cells and bcl-2-transfected U937 cells which are less sensitive to drug-induced apoptosis. Nuclear run-on experiments demonstrate that etoposide increases CASP gene transcription in U937 cells, an effect that is prevented by Bcl-2 overexpression. Upregulation of CASP genes is associated with an enhanced synthesis of related procaspases that precedes the appearance of apoptosis markers including caspase-3 activation, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage and internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. These results suggest that the ability of tumor cells to upregulate CASP-2 and CASP-3 genes in response to cytotoxic drugs could be predictive of their sensitivity to drug-induced apoptosis.
 ...
PMID:Upregulation of CASP genes in human tumor cells undergoing etoposide-induced apoptosis. 967 9

The topoisomerase inhibitors, camptothecin and etoposide target the activity of topoisomerase I and II respectively. These agents, or their analogues, are undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. In this study, we examined the response of eight breast epithelial cell lines, including six lines derived from breast cancers and two immortalized normal epithelial lines to camptothecin and etoposide. The lines varied by 700 fold in their sensitivity to the growth inhibiting effects of camptothecin and 30 fold in their response to etoposide. The BT474 line was the most resistant to both agents. The other cell lines did not have uniform sensitivity to both drugs, i.e., some lines were sensitive to one drug but relatively resistant to the other. A variety of parameters in these lines were analyzed to elucidate mechanisms of resistance including S phase, doubling time, expression and activity of topoisomerase I and II, expression of mdr-1, p53 status, cell cycle arrest, level of apoptosis, and expression of the apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bax. We found that low levels of the topo I protein and its enzymatic activity were associated with increased resistance to camptothecin. This was not true for topo II activity and etoposide. Increased apoptotic responses were generally observed in cell lines that were sensitive to etoposide and this correlated with low ratios of Bcl-2/Bax protein. No single parameter was entirely predictive of response. However, the BT474 line displayed a series of characteristics including slow growth, the presence of mutant p53, low topo I activity, and a high Bcl-2/Bax ratio which together likely contributed to the resistance of this line to both etoposide and camptothecin.
 ...
PMID:Complex response of breast epithelial cell lines to topoisomerase inhibitors. 971 86

We characterized three human brain tumor cell lines (D54, HBT-20, and HBT-28) with respect to resistance to etoposide (VP-16), a topoisomerase II-reactive drug. All three cell lines were inherently resistant to VP-16 when compared to other human cell lines, with D54 showing the greatest resistance using colony formation assays. Resistance to VP-16 has been attributed to decreased drug uptake and changes in topoisomerase II; however, drug uptake and topoisomerase II protein levels (immunoblot) were no lower in D54 than in HBT-20 and HBT-28, cell lines relatively more sensitive to VP-16. More to the point, measurement of topoisomerase II-mediated DNA cleavage of cellular DNA after treatment with VP-16 showed that the topoisomerase II in these cells was active. These data indicate mechanisms other than those attributable to decreased drug uptake or altered topoisomerase II exist for clinical resistance to VP-16. VP-16-induced DNA cleavage has been associated with apoptosis in some cell lines; however, neither DNA laddering nor morphological changes characteristic of apoptosis were detected in these cell lines after treatment with VP-16. Bcl-2 and mutant p53 were present in these cells. Either of these conditions can prevent apoptosis and could explain a dissociation between the proximal mediator of VP-16-induced cytotoxicity (topoisomerase II-DNA complex formation) and cellular death.
 ...
PMID:Expression of topoisomerase II, bcl-2, and p53 in three human brain tumor cell lines and their possible relationship to intrinsic resistance to etoposide. 981 36

Villous trophoblast in the human placenta consists of a population of proliferating stem cells which differentiate and individually fuse into the syncytiotrophoblast. We studied the apoptotic cascade in this complex epithelial layer by immunohistochemical localization of Fas, FasL, Bcl-2, Mcl-1, pro-caspase-3 and caspase-3, T-cell-restricted intracellular antigen-related protein (TIAR), poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), lamin B, topoisomerase IIalpha, and transglutaminase II in cryostat and paraffin-fixed tissue sections from normal human first-trimester and term placental villi. The relationship between the apoptotic cascade and syncytial fusion was studied by coincubation of intact villi with FITC-coupled annexin-V, to detect the phosphatidylserine flip, and propidium iodide, to detect plasma membrane permeability. The final events of the apoptotic cascade were studied by the TUNEL reaction and ultrastructural appearance of the trophoblast. The phosphatidylserine flip was identified in some of the villous cytotrophoblastic cells, but the presence of both Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 proteins presumably prevented continuation of the apoptotic cascade. The syncytiotrophoblast demonstrated heterogeneous findings, suggesting variable progression along the apoptotic cascade. In some areas Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 predominated, with preservation of the nuclear proteins PARP, lamin B, and topoisomerase IIalpha; in other areas, especially in and around syncytial sprouts, Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 were absent, accompanied by loss of nuclear proteins, presence of phosphatidylserine flip, and TUNEL positivity. These data suggest that the apoptotic cascade is initiated in the villous cytotrophoblast, which in turn promotes syncytial fusion. Donation of anti-apoptotic proteins into the syncytium, such as Bcl-2 and Mcl-1, focally inhibits further progression along this cascade. Completion of the apoptotic cascade takes place in and around syncytial sprouts, providing further evidence that these are the sites of trophoblast shedding into the maternal circulation.
 ...
PMID:Villous cytotrophoblast regulation of the syncytial apoptotic cascade in the human placenta. 982 29

Protein kinase C-delta (PKC-delta) appears to be variously involved in proliferation and apoptosis. To compare the changes of this enzyme in these two processes, we have determined the levels and activities of the 79-kDa PKC-delta holoenzyme and its catalytically active 47- and 40-kDa C-terminal fragments in the nuclei of proliferating untreated polyomavirus-transformed pyF111 rat fibroblasts and pyF111 cells treated with the apoptogenic topoisomerase-II inhibitors VP-16 (etoposide), VM-26 (teniposide), and doxorubicin. PyF111 cells were chosen because they hyperexpress PKC-delta and they are hypersusceptible to apoptosis because they do not express the antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL. The highest PKC-delta activity in cells before they started proliferating or were exposed to one of the inhibitors was in the NM (nuclear envelope-containing) fraction, which contained the holoenzyme and both C-terminal fragments, while only the two fragments were in the nucleoplasmic (NP) fraction where they were tightly associated with chromatin. When the cells began proliferating the amounts of the PKC-delta holoenzyme and the two fragments increased in the NM and the NP fractions and the already high PKC-delta activity either increased or stayed the same in these fractions until the end of the 72-h incubation. And there was no leakage of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytoplasm. VP-16 exposure caused a prompt release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytosol and at the same time triggered a sharp drop (35% by 3 h and 60% by 6 h) in the PKC-delta activity in the NM fraction without changing the actual amounts of the holoenzyme or its fragments. This prompt inactivation of PKC-delta and its fragments during the first 6 h of exposure to the drug was not due to their dephosphorylation and could not be reversed by phosphatidylserine and/or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA). Between 6 and 24 h the PKC-delta activity in the NM fraction dropped a further 20%, the kinase's activity transiently surged in the NP fraction, and cytoplasmic CPP-32-like (DEVD-specific caspase) activity increased without an increase in the proteolysis of nuclear PKC-delta or PARP. Between 24 and 72 h nuclear CPP-32-like activity increased along with a massive proteolysis of PKC-delta, an accumulation of various PKC-delta fragments, and the cleavage of PARP. But despite this proteolysis, the cells were still able to maintain or even increase the amounts of holoenzyme and 40- and 47-kDa fragments in the NM and NP fractions before dying. VM-26 and doxorubicin caused the same prompt release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria and dramatic drop of NM PKC-delta activity as did VP-16. Thus, high levels of activity of nuclear PKC-delta, particularly PKC-delta in the nuclear membrane, might have a role driving the cell cycle of pyF111 cells. On the other hand, the prompt and sustained large drop in the activity of PKC-delta at this site that precedes the onset of the caspase-mediated proteolysis of the isoform may be involved in starting and driving apoptogenesis in pyF111 fibroblasts exposed to topoisomerase-II inhibitors.
 ...
PMID:Changes in nuclear protein kinase C-delta holoenzyme, its catalytic fragments, and its activity in polyomavirus-transformed pyF111 rat fibroblasts while proliferating and following exposure to apoptogenic topoisomerase-II inhibitors. 1032 62

Malignant melanoma is considered to be a chemotherapy-refractory tumour and the commonly used anticancer drugs do not seem to modify the prognosis of metastatic disease. The cellular resistance mechanisms involved in melanoma chemoresistance have not yet been elucidated. Melanoma-derived cell lines are often markedly chemoresistant. Using the in vitro soft agar culture system to predict tumour cell sensitivity in well-established human melanoma cell lines, a high degree of resistance against all the cytostatic agents studied has been reported, suggesting the presence of intrinsic cellular resistance mechanisms. The relevance of the well-defined resistance mechanisms mediated by P-glycoprotein, multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP), the glutathione/glutathione S-transferase system and topoisomerase II enzyme are reviewed. Mutated N-Ras oncogene has recently been implicated in melanoma resistance to cisplatin, both in vitro and in vivo, and the role of two other oncogenes, Bcl-2 and p53, which are already involved in the chemoresistance of haematological and solid malignancies, is beginning to be better elucidated. The finding that many chemotherapeutic agents can kill susceptible cells through the apoptosis pathway provides new molecular insight into chemoresistance mechanisms and suggests that apoptosis and/or resistance to apoptosis of melanoma cells should be investigated to better clarify the mechanism of melanoma chemoresistance.
 ...
PMID:The chemoresistance of human malignant melanoma: an update. 1033 34

Vitronectin (VN) is an extracellular matrix (ECM) protein, the synthesis of which in vivo by glioma cells correlates with tumor grade. Although the role of VN as a permissive substrate for glioma migration has been well characterized, its role in conferring a survival advantage for tumor cells has not been addressed previously. By using an in vitro assay of DNA fragmentation as a quantitative measure of apoptotic cell death, we sought to determine whether the sensitivity of two human glioma cell lines (D54 and U251) to drug-induced apoptosis could be inhibited by VN. As well, the extent to which apoptosis could be inhibited was correlated with the levels of the Bcl-2 family of proteins that are known to modulate apoptosis and chemoresistance. Results of the study were: (a) VN coatings, in a dose-dependent manner, inhibited topoisomerase (Topo)-induced apoptosis by up to 50% (optimal coating density, 500 ng/cm2); in contrast, fibronectin (FN), an ECM protein present in abundance in the brain, demonstrated no protection; (b) in a dose-response study, VN clearly conferred a survival advantage (LD50 of Topo: on VN, 120 ng/ml; on FN, 35 ng/ml); (c) the protective effect of VN was not due to enhanced cell adhesion or alterations in the cell cycle distribution; (d) both of the classic integrin receptors that bind VN (alpha(v)beta3, alpha(v)beta5) were capable of mediating this protective effect, because ligation of either of the two classic integrins conferred chemoresistance to Topo; and (e) chemoresistance observed with VN was associated with an increase in expression of two antiapoptotic proteins, Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L), with a consequent increase in the ratios for Bcl-2:Bax and Bcl-X(L):Bax. VN, an ECM protein preferentially expressed at the tumor-brain interface in vivo, may confer a survival advantage to glioma cells at the advancing tumor margin and may thus, in part, underlie the high level of tumor recurrence at this interface.
 ...
PMID:Vitronectin, a glioma-derived extracellular matrix protein, protects tumor cells from apoptotic death. 1038 48

TAS-103 (6-[[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]amino]-3-hydroxy-7H-indeno[2,1-c] quinolin-7-one dihydrochloride), a dual topoisomerase (topo) inhibitor, was developed as an anticancer agent by targeting topo I and topo II and has previously been shown to be effective against lung tumors. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxic activity of TAS-103 in various human cancer cell lines (including gastric, colon, squamous, lung, and breast cancer cells) and the induction of apoptosis by TAS-103. We next established stable transfectants of Bcl-2 in the gastric cancer cell line AZ521 and found that Bcl-2 blocked TAS-103-induced apoptosis. In addition, we demonstrated that the activities of ICE-like and CPP32-like proteases are involved in the signal transduction pathway of TAS-103-induced apoptosis. In summary, TAS-103 is a novel type of anticancer agent with a unique mechanism and could be useful as a lead compound for development of new drugs.
 ...
PMID:A dual topoisomerase inhibitor, TAS-103, induces apoptosis in human cancer cells. 1042 63

The aim of this study was to obtain insight into the role of the multidrug resistance (MDR) phenomenon in hormone-independent progressive prostate cancer. Using immunocytochemistry and Western blotting we determined the expression of P-glycoprotein (Pgp), multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP), glutathione-S-transferase-pi (GST-pi), Bcl-2, Bax, topoisomerase (Topo) I, II alpha and II beta in the human prostate cancer cell lines PC3, TSU-Pr1, DU145 and LNCaP derivatives LNCaP-R, LNCaP-LNO and LNCaP-FGC. Proliferative activity was assessed by immunocytochemistry. MTT assays were used to determine the sensitivity to etoposide, doxorubicin and vinblastin. Pgp was not expressed in any of the cell lines. MRP was variably expressed. GST-pi was expressed in TSU-Pr1, PC3 and DU145. The expression of Bcl-2 was restricted to TSU-Pr1, whereas Bax was found in all cell lines. Topo II alpha was expressed at the highest level in the rapidly proliferating cell lines TSU-Pr1 and DU145. Topo I and II beta were equally expressed. Resistance profiles varied among the cell lines, with TSU-Pr1 being the most sensitive and LNCaP-LNO relatively resistant. Multiple MDR proteins were expressed in prostate cancer cell lines and may well influence response to chemotherapy. Future functional studies, using chemo-selected MDR models, may further help to determine the mechanism or combination of mechanisms underlying the resistance of prostate cancer to chemotherapy.
 ...
PMID:Chemosensitivity of prostate cancer cell lines and expression of multidrug resistance-related proteins. 1049 44


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