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)

Activated interleukin-2 (IL-2)-dependent T cells express high levels of Bcl-2 protein. On cytokine withdrawal, Bcl-2 expression decreases and the cells die rapidly by apoptosis. We have previously shown that the survival of IL-2-deprived T cells can be promoted by factor(s) secreted by fibroblasts. Here we report that reduced glutathione (GSH), but not its oxidized counterpart GSSG, also enhances the in vitro survival of these cells. Exogenous GSH mediates its effect intracellularly, as (1) endogenous glutathione concentrations are increased up to fivefold in the presence of GSH, and (2) acivicin, an inhibitor of transmembrane GSH transport, abrogates GSH-dependent survival. The GSH-rescued T cells do not proliferate and express only low levels of Bcl-2, resembling W138 fibroblast-rescued T cells. We, therefore, investigated a role for GSH in fibroblast-promoted T-cell survival. We show that W138-promoted survival results in elevated GSH levels in surviving T cells and is abrogated by buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), an inhibitor of GSH synthesis. Furthermore, both W138-promoted T-cell survival and GSH upregulation are associated with large molecular weight molecules (>30 kD). Thus, the upregulation of GSH by W138 fibroblasts appears to be crucial in their ability to enhance the survival of cytokine-deprived activated T cells in vitro.
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PMID:Upregulation of intracellular glutathione by fibroblast-derived factor(s): enhanced survival of activated T cells in the presence of low Bcl-2. 911 89

Pre-term neonates and neonates in general exhibit physiological vitamin E deficiency and are at increased risk for the development of acute lung diseases. Apoptosis is a major cause of acute lung damage in alveolar type II cells. In this paper, we evaluated the hypothesis that vitamin E deficiency predisposes alveolar type II cells to apoptosis. Therefore, we measured markers of apoptosis in alveolar type II cells isolated from control rats, vitamin E deficient rats and deficient rats that were re-fed a vitamin E-enriched diet. Bax and cytosolic cytochrome c increased, and the mitochondrial transmembrane potential and Hsp25 expression was reduced in vitamin E deficiency. Furthermore, increased DNA-fragmentation and numbers of early and late apoptotic cells were seen, but caspases 3 and 8 activities and expression of Fas, Bcl-2, Bcl-x and p53 remained unchanged. Vitamin E depletion did not change the GSH/GSSG ratio and the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Thus, vitamin E deficiency may induce a reversible pro-apoptotic response in lung cells and sensitise them for additional insult. In agreement with this hypothesis, we demonstrate that in vivo hyperoxia alone does not induce apoptosis in type II cells of control rats but reversibly increases DNA-fragmentation and numbers of early apoptotic type II cells in vitamin E-depleted cells.
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PMID:Vitamin E deficiency sensitizes alveolar type II cells for apoptosis. 1206 53

Changes in the intracellular reduced/oxidized glutathione ratio (GSH/GSSG) are crucial reduction-oxidation (redox) events that trigger downstream proliferation or death responses. We investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying redox-mediated cell signaling upon an oxidative insult by treating U937 cells with exogenous nonpermeable GSSG. This treatment results in a significant decrease of exofacial cell membrane thiol groups and intracellular decrement of GSH content, owing to its engagement in the formation of mixed disulfides. Changes in thioredoxin redox state were also observed, and they may be related to the activation of upstream ASK1 and selective induction of downstream p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, detectable by phosphorylation of MKK3/6 and p38 MAPK. Moreover, an increase in reactive oxygen species production was detected, and cells were committed to apoptosis along the mitochondrial pathway, evidenced by Bcl-2 down-regulation, cytochome c release from mitochondria, caspase-9 cleavage, and caspase-3 activation. GSH ethyl ester, a precursor of GSH, by counteracting intracellular mixed disulfide formation, canceled both p38 MAPK activation and GSSG-mediated apoptosis via inhibition of thioredoxin oxidation and stabilization of thioredoxin/ASK1 complex, whereas, blockage of p38 MAPK by specific inhibitor SB 203580 allowed apoptosis at a very reduced extent. Results suggest that kinase cascade may serve as a primary transducer of cytoplasmic oxidative signals to the nucleus before apoptosis-inducing signals are activated.
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PMID:Glutathione disulfide induces apoptosis in U937 cells by a redox-mediated p38 MAP kinase pathway. 1242 21

Ethinyl estradiol (EE) is a strong promoter and weak hepatocarcinogen in rats. Previously, we demonstrated that EE enhanced the transcript levels of nuclear genome- and mitochondrial genome-encoded genes and respiratory chain activity in female rat liver, and also inhibited transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta)-induced apoptosis in cultured liver slices and hepatocytes from female rats. In this study, using cultured female rat hepatocytes, we observed that EE, within 24 h, increased the transcript levels of the mitochondrial genome-encoded genes cytochrome oxidase subunits I, II, and III. This effect was accompanied by increased mitochondrial respiratory chain activity, as reflected by increased mitochondrial superoxide generation, and detected by lucigenin-derived chemiluminescence and cellular ATP levels. EE also enhanced the levels of Bcl-2 protein. Biochemical analyses indicated that EE significantly increased both the levels of glutathione (reduced [GSH] and oxidized [GSSG] forms) per mg protein in mitochondria and nuclei, while the percentage of total glutathione in the oxidized form was not affected. This finding was supported by confocal microscopy. These effects caused by EE may contribute, at least in part, to the EE-mediated inhibition of hepatic apoptosis.
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PMID:Enhanced mitochondrial gene transcript, ATP, bcl-2 protein levels, and altered glutathione distribution in ethinyl estradiol-treated cultured female rat hepatocytes. 1285 39

The present study was carried out to determine whether beneficial effects of carvedilol in congestive heart failure (CHF) are mediated via its beta-adrenergic blocking, antioxidant, and/or alpha-adrenergic blocking action. Rabbits with heart failure induced by rapid cardiac pacing were randomized to receive subcutaneous carvedilol, metoprolol, propranolol plus doxazosin, or placebo pellets for 8 wk and compared with sham-operated rabbits without pacing. We found rapid cardiac pacing produced clinical heart failure, left ventricular dilation, and decline of left ventricular fractional shortening. This was associated with an increase in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, decrease in left ventricular first derivative of left ventricular pressure, and myocyte hypertrophy. Tissue oxidative stress measured by GSH/GSSG was increased in the heart with increased oxidation product of mitochondrial DNA, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine, increase of Bax, decrease of Bcl-2, and increase of apoptotic myocytes as measured by anti-single-stranded DNA monoclonal antibody. Administration of carvedilol and metoprolol, which had no effect in sham animals, attenuated cardiac ventricular remodeling, cardiac hypertrophy, oxidative stress, and myocyte apoptosis in CHF. In contrast, propranolol plus doxazosin, which has less antioxidant effects, produced smaller effects on left ventricular function and myocyte apoptosis. In all animals, GSH/GSSG correlated significantly with changes of left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (r = -0.678, P < 0.0001), fractional shortening (r = 0.706, P < 0.0001), and apoptotic myocytes (r = -0.473, P = 0.0001). Thus our findings suggest antioxidant and antiapoptotic actions of carvedilol and metoprolol are important determinants of clinical beneficial effects of beta-receptors in the treatment of CHF.
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PMID:Importance of antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects of beta-receptor blockers in heart failure therapy. 1510 69

In the present studies, the role of oxidative stress in radiosensitization by a combination of 2-DG and 6-aminonicotinamide (6-AN) was examined in a human glioma cell line (BMG-1: wild type p53). Presence of 2-DG or 6-AN for 4 hr after irradiation (gamma ray 2.5 Gy) significantly enhanced the radiation-induced cell death by 18% and the combination (2-DG + 6-AN) enhanced the cell death by 35%. Neither 2-DG nor 6-AN had any further significant effect on the glutathione levels in irradiated cells. However, the combination (2-DG + 6-AN) caused a significant decrease in GSH content, increase in GSSG levels, and enhanced the superoxide radical generation under these conditions. The enhanced cell death caused by the combination (2-DG + 6-AN) mainly resulted by the process of apoptosis as revealed by annexin V binding and was associated with elevated levels of Cyclin B1. However, no significant change was observed in the levels of Bcl-2. Thus, for the first time, our results have demonstrated that the radiosensitizing effects of these modifiers could also be mediated through alterations in the oxidative stress besides energy limited inhibition of repair and recovery processes.
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PMID:Contribution of oxidative stress to radiosensitization by a combination of 2-DG and 6-AN in human cancer cell line. 1532 Apr 90

Although selenium compounds have been extensively studied as chemopreventative agents for prostate cancer, little is known about the potential use of selenium compounds for chemotherapy. We have shown that selenite inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in androgen-dependent LAPC-4 prostate cancer cells. LAPC-4 cells were more sensitive to selenite-induced apoptosis than primary cultures of normal prostate cells. Selenite-induced apoptosis in LAPC-4 cells correlated with a decrease in the Bcl-2:Bax expression ratio. Selenite-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis are dependent upon its reaction with reduced GSH. LAPC-4 cells treated with selenite showed decreased levels of total GSH and increased concentrations of GSSG. Thus, selenite altered the intracellular redox status toward an oxidative state by decreasing the ratio of GSH:GSSG. Because increased levels of Bcl-2 and GSH are associated with radioresistance, we examined the ability of selenite to sensitize prostate cancer cells to gamma-irradiation. Both LAPC-4 and androgen-independent DU 145 cells pretreated with selenite showed increased sensitivity to gamma-irradiation as measured by clonogenic survival assays. Importantly, selenite-induced radiosensitization was observed in combination with a clinically relevant dose of 2 Gy. These data suggest that altering the redox environment of prostate cancer cells with selenite increases the apoptotic potential and sensitizes them to radiation-induced cell killing.
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PMID:Redox modulation of human prostate carcinoma cells by selenite increases radiation-induced cell killing. 1558 71

We have previously reported that an ethanol extract of the dried ripe fruit of Vitex agnus-castus (Vitex) displays cytotoxic activity against certain kinds of human cancer cell line resulting in the induction of apoptosis. In this paper, we investigate the molecular mechanism of apoptosis induced by Vitex using a human gastric signet ring carcinoma cell line, KATO-III. DNA fragmentation was observed in Vitex-treated KATO-III cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. DNA fragmentation was accompanied by the following phenomena: elevation in the level of hemeoxygenase-1 protein and thioredoxin reductase mRNA; repression of Mn-superoxide dismutase and catalase mRNAs; release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into the cytosol; activation of caspases-8, -9 and -3; decrease in the level of Bcl-2, Bcl-XL and Bid protein; increase in the level of Bad protein. The intracellular oxidized state, measured using 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate, increased after Vitex treatment. While the amount of intracellular GSH decreased significantly after treatment with Vitex, the level of GSSG was unaffected. Furthermore, no significant perturbation in the amount of proteins/mRNAs related to glutathione metabolism could be detected. These apoptotic alterations induced by exposure to Vitex were blocked by the presence of an anti-oxidative reagent, N-acetyl-l-cysteine, or the addition of exogenous GSH. Our results demonstrate that intracellular oxidative stress and mitochondrial membrane damage is responsible for Vitex-induced apoptosis, which may be mediated by a diminution of reduced type glutathione within the cell.
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PMID:Human gastric signet ring carcinoma (KATO-III) cell apoptosis induced by Vitex agnus-castus fruit extract through intracellular oxidative stress. 1583 80

Ionizing radiation induces the production of reactive oxygen species, which play an important causative role in apoptotic cell death. Therefore, compounds that scavenge reactive oxygen species may confer regulatory effects on apoptosis. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimetics have been shown to be protective against cell injury caused by reactive oxygen species. We investigated the effects of the manganese (III) tetrakis(N-methyl-2-pyridyl)porphyrin (MnTMPyP), a cell-permeable SOD mimetic, on ionizing radiation-induced apoptosis. Upon exposure to 2 Gy of gamma-irradiation, there was a distinct difference between the control cells and the cells pre-treated with 5 microM MnTMPyP for 2 h with regard to apoptotic parameters, cellular redox status, mitochondria function, and oxidative damage to cells. MnTMPyP effectively suppressed morphological evidence of apoptosis and DNA fragmentation in U937 cells exposed to ionizing radiation. The [GSSG]/[GSH+GSSG] ratio and the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species were higher and the [NADPH]/[NADP(+)+NADPH] ratio was lower in control cells compared to MnTMPyP-treated cells. The ionizing radiation-induced mitochondrial damage reflected by the altered mitochondrial permeability transition, the increase in the accumulation of reactive oxygen species, and the reduction of ATP production were significantly higher in control cells compared to MnTMPyP-treated cells. MnTMPyP pre-treated cells showed significant inhibition of apoptotic features such as activation of caspase-3, up-regulation of Bax and p53, and down-regulation of Bcl-2 compared to control cells upon exposure to ionizing radiation. This study indicates that MnTMPyP may play an important role in regulating the apoptosis induced by ionizing radiation presumably through scavenging of reactive oxygen species.
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PMID:Regulation of ionizing radiation-induced apoptosis by a manganese porphyrin complex. 1600 45

Ionizing radiation induces the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which play an important causative role in apoptotic cell death. alpha-Phenyl-N-t-butylnitrone (PBN) is one of the most widely used spin-trapping compounds for investigating the existence of free radicals in biological systems. We investigated the effects of PBN on ionizing radiation-induced apoptosis in U937 cells. Upon exposure to 2 Gy of gamma-irradiation, there was a distinct difference between the control cells and the cells pre-treated with 2 mM PBN for 2 h in regard to apoptotic parameters, cellular redox status, mitochondria function and oxidative damage to cells. PBN effectively suppressed morphological evidence of apoptosis and DNA fragmentation in U937 cells exposed to ionizing radiation. The [GSSG]/[GSH+GSSG] ratio and the generation of intracellular ROS were higher and the [NADPH]/[NADP+ +NADPH] ratio was lower in control cells compared to PBN-treated cells. The ionizing radiation-induced mitochondrial damage reflected by the altered mitochondrial permeability transition, the increase in the accumulation of ROS, and the reduction of ATP production were significantly higher in control cells compared to PBN-treated cells. PBN pre-treated cells showed significant inhibition of apoptotic features such as activation of caspase-3, up-regulation of Bax and p53, and down-regulation of Bcl-2 compared to control cells upon exposure to ionizing radiation. This study indicates that PBN may play an important role in regulating the apoptosis induced by ionizing radiation presumably through scavenging of ROS.
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PMID:The effect of alpha-phenyl-N-t-butylnitrone on ionizing radiation-induced apoptosis in U937 cells. 1629 62


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