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)

Tumor necrosis factor superfamily member TRAIL/Apo-2L has recently been shown to induce apoptosis in transformed and cancer cells. Some prostate cancer cells express constitutively active Akt/protein kinase B due to a complete loss of lipid phosphatase PTEN gene, a negative regulator of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway. Constitutively active Akt promotes cellular survival and resistance to chemotherapy and radiation. We have recently noticed that some human prostate cancer cells are resistant to TRAIL. We therefore examined the intracellular mechanisms of cellular resistance to TRAIL. The cell lines expressing the highest level of constitutively active Akt were more resistant to undergo apoptosis by TRAIL than those expressing the lowest level. Down-regulation of constitutively active Akt by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors, wortmannin and LY294002, reversed cellular resistance to TRAIL. Treatment of resistant cells with cycloheximide (a protein synthesis inhibitor) rendered cells sensitive to TRAIL. Transfecting dominant negative Akt decreased Akt activity and increased TRAIL-induced apoptosis in cells with high Akt activity. Conversely, transfecting constitutively active Akt into cells with low Akt activity increased Akt activity and attenuated TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Inhibition of TRAIL sensitivity occurs at the level of BID cleavage, as caspase-8 activity was not affected. Enforced expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 or Bcl-X(L) inhibited TRAIL-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. We therefore identify Akt as a constitutively active kinase that promotes survival of prostate cancer cells and demonstrate that modulation of Akt activity, by pharmacological or genetic approaches, alters the cellular responsiveness to TRAIL. Thus, TRAIL in combination with agents that down-regulate Akt activity can be used to treat prostate cancer.
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PMID:Pro-survival function of Akt/protein kinase B in prostate cancer cells. Relationship with TRAIL resistance. 1224 94

The involvement of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) in the biology of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) has not previously been investigated. Here we report that FGF-2 prevented etoposide-induced apoptosis in H-510 SCLC cells. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling did not mediate this effect because FGF-2 failed to activate phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase or protein kinase B. In contrast, the mitogen-activated extracellularly regulated kinase kinase (MEK) was crucial for this response because its inhibition abolished the prosurvival properties of FGF-2. Moreover, in H-69 SCLC cells, the failure of FGF-2 to prevent etoposide-induced apoptosis correlated with uncoupling from MEK activation. However, the introduction of an activated MEK rendered these cells resistant to etoposide killing. Cell rescue relied on de novo protein synthesis, and the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-X(L) and Bcl-2 were up-regulated in a MEK-dependent fashion within 4 h of FGF-2 treatment. Contrary to previous reports, we found that this up-regulation occurred at the translational rather than the transcriptional level. Indeed, actinomycin D failed to prevent up-regulation of Bcl-X(L) and Bcl-2, and FGF-2 did not increase the mRNA levels or the stability of these proteins. The induction of the pro-apoptotic protein Bad by etoposide was also blocked by FGF-2 in a MEK-dependent fashion. Thus, MEK/extracellularly regulated kinase signaling is critical in the coordinate modulation of both pro- and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members by FGF-2.
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PMID:Fibroblast growth factor-2 induces translational regulation of Bcl-XL and Bcl-2 via a MEK-dependent pathway: correlation with resistance to etoposide-induced apoptosis. 2609 81

Survival signals elicited by cytokines include the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), which in turn promotes the activation of protein kinase B (PKB). Recently, PKB has been demonstrated to phosphorylate and inactivate forkhead transcription factor FKHR-L1, a potent inducer of apoptosis. To explore the mechanisms underlying the induction of apoptosis after cytokine withdrawal or FKHR-L1 activation, we used a cell line in which FKHR-L1 activity could be specifically induced. Both cytokine withdrawal and FKHR-L1 activation induced apoptosis, which was preceded by an upregulation in p27KIP1 and a concomitant decrease in cells entering the cell cycle. Induction of apoptosis by both cytokine withdrawal and activation of FKHR-L1 correlated with the disruption of mitochondrial membrane integrity and cytochrome c release. This was preceded by upregulation of the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member Bim. Ectopic expression of an inhibitory mutant of FKHR-L1 substantially reduced the levels of apoptosis observed after cytokine withdrawal. Activation of PKB alone was sufficient to promote cell survival, as measured by maintenance of mitochondrial integrity and the resultant inhibition of effector caspases. Furthermore, hematopoietic stem cells isolated from Bim-/- mice exhibited reduced levels of apoptosis upon inhibition of PI3K/PKB signaling. These data demonstrate that activation of FKHR-L1 alone can recapitulate all known elements of the apoptotic program normally induced by cytokine withdrawal. Thus PI3K/PKB--mediated inhibition of this transcription factor likely provides an important mechanism by which survival factors act to prevent programmed cell death.
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PMID:FKHR-L1 can act as a critical effector of cell death induced by cytokine withdrawal: protein kinase B-enhanced cell survival through maintenance of mitochondrial integrity. 1181 29

In addition to promoting the survival, proliferation, and differentiation of immature erythroid cells, erythropoietin and the erythropoietin receptor have recently been shown to modulate cellular signal transduction pathways that extend beyond the erythropoietic function of erythropoietin. In particular, erythropoietin has been linked to the prevention of programmed cell death in neuronal systems. Although this work is intriguing, the underlying molecular mechanisms that serve to mediate neuroprotection by erythropoietin are not well understood. Further analysis illustrates that erythropoietin modulates two distinct components of programmed cell death that involve the degradation of DNA and the externalization of cellular membrane phosphatidylserine residues. Initiation of the cascades that modulate protection by erythropoietin and its receptor may begin with the activation of the Janus tyrosine kinase 2 protein. Subsequent downstream mechanisms appear to lead to the activation of multiple signal transduction pathways that include transcription factor STAT5 (signal transducers and activators of transcription), Bcl-2, protein kinase B, cysteine proteases, mitogen-activated protein kinases, protein-tyrosine phosphatases, and nuclear factor-kappaB. New knowledge of the cellular pathways regulated by erythropoietin in neuronal environments will potentially solidify the development and initiation of therapeutic strategies against nervous system disorders.
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PMID:Hematopoietic factor erythropoietin fosters neuroprotection through novel signal transduction cascades. 1197 22

The cytokine IL-2 plays a very important role in the proliferation and survival of activated T cells. These effects of IL-2 are dependent on signaling through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway. We and others have shown that PI3K, through activation of protein kinase B/Akt, inhibits transcriptional activation by a number of forkhead transcription factors (FoxO1, FoxO3, and FoxO4). In this study we have investigated the role of these forkhead transcription factors in the IL-2-induced T cell proliferation and survival. We show that IL-2 regulates phosphorylation of FoxO3 in a PI3K-dependent fashion. Phosphorylation and inactivation of FoxO3 appears to play an important role in IL-2-mediated T cell survival, because mere activation of FoxO3 is sufficient to trigger apoptosis in T cells. Indeed, active FoxO3 can induce expression of IL-2-regulated genes, such as the cdk inhibitor p27(Kip1) and the proapoptotic Bcl-2 family member Bim. Furthermore, we show that IL-2 triggers a rapid, PI3K-dependent, phosphorylation of FoxO1a in primary T cells. Thus, we propose that inactivation of FoxO transcription factors by IL-2 plays a critical role in T cell proliferation and survival.
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PMID:The forkhead transcription factor FoxO regulates transcription of p27Kip1 and Bim in response to IL-2. 1199 54

Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) have mitogenic and antiapoptotic properties and have been implicated in the development of lung cancer. The effects of IGFs are modulated by insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs). This study explored the effects of IGFBP-3 on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells after infection with an adenovirus constitutively expressing IGFBP-3 under the control of the cytomegalovirus promoter (Ad5CMV-BP3). We found that IGFs, especially IGF-I, stimulated the growth of NSCLC cells, and Ad5CMV-BP3 suppressed this IGF-I-induced NSCLC cell growth. We also found that the clonogenicity of H1299 cells in soft agar was markedly reduced by Ad5CMV-BP3. Furthermore, direct injection of Ad5CMV-BP3 into H1299 NSCLC xenografts s.c. established in athymic nude mice induced massive destruction of the tumors. Ad5CMV-BP3 did not induce detectable cytotoxicity on normal human bronchial epithelial cells, suggesting therapeutic efficacy of this virus. Ad5CMV-BP3 infection was accompanied by apoptotic cell death in vitro as detected by flow cytometry, DNA fragmentation analysis, and Western blot analysis on the expression of Bcl-2 and on the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, a substrate of caspase 3. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy was also used to show the apoptotic effect of Ad5CMV-BP3 in H1299 tumors established in nude mice. These findings indicated that IGFBP-3 was a potent inducer of apoptosis in NSCLC cells in vitro and in vivo. To delineate the underlying mechanism, we examined the effect of IGFBP-3 on Akt/protein kinase B and glycogen synthase kinase-3beta, downstream mediators of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway, and on mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), all three of which are activated by IGF-mediated signaling pathways and have important roles in cell survival. IGFBP-3 overexpression inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt and glycogen synthase kinase-3beta and the activity of MAPK. Furthermore, IGF-I rescued the NSCLC cells from serum depletion-induced apoptosis, and this rescue was blocked in Ad5CMV-BP-3-infected H1299 NSCLC cells. Transient transfection with activated Akt or constitutively active MAPK kinase-1, an upstream activator of MAPK, partially blocked IGFBP-3-induced apoptosis of NSCLC cells. These findings suggested that the growth-regulatory effect of IGFBP-3 on NSCLC cells was attributable in part to the inhibition of the IGF-induced survival pathway. These data demonstrate the importance of IGFBP-3 in the regulation of NSCLC cell proliferation, clonogenicity, and tumor growth, suggesting that IGFBP-3 is a target for the treatment of lung cancer and that Ad5CMV-BP3 is a potential therapeutic agent.
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PMID:Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 inhibits the growth of non-small cell lung cancer. 1206

Associated with the metastatic progression of epithelial tumors is the dynamic regulation of cadherins. Whereas E-cadherin is expressed in most epithelium and carcinomas, recent studies suggest that the up-regulation of other cadherin subtypes in carcinomas, such as N-cadherin, may function in cancer progression. We demonstrate that a signal transduction cascade links the N-cadherin.catenin adhesion complex to up-regulation of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. In suspension, aggregates of DU-145 cells, an E-cadherin expressing human prostate carcinoma line, survive loss of integrin-dependent adhesion by a different anti-apoptotic signaling pathway than the N-cadherin expressing lines PC3 and PC3N. N-cadherin intercellular adhesion mediates a 3.5-fold increase in Bcl-2 protein expression, whereas the level of the proapoptotic protein Bax remains constant. Only N-cadherin ligation in PC3 cells, which express both N-cadherin and E-cadherin, is sufficient to induce activation of Akt/protein kinase B. N-cadherin homophilic ligation initiates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent activation of Akt resulting in Akt phosphorylation of Bad on serine 136. Following N-cadherin homophilic adhesion phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase was identified in immunoprecipitates of the N-cadherin.catenin complex. The recruitment of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase to the adhesion complex is dependent on ligation of N-cadherin and an organized actin cytoskeleton because cytochalasin D blocks the recruitment. We propose that N-cadherin homophilic adhesion can initiate anti-apoptotic signaling, which enhances the Akt cell survival pathway in metastatic cancer.
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PMID:Signal transduction from N-cadherin increases Bcl-2. Regulation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway by homophilic adhesion and actin cytoskeletal organization. 1209 80

Bcl-2 family gene products are critical to the integration of cell death stimuli that target the mitochondrion. Proapoptotic BAD (Bcl-2-associated death protein) has been shown to dissociate from its sequestered site with the molecular chaperone protein 14-3-3 and displace proapoptotic BAX (Bcl-2-associated X protein) from antiapoptotic BCL-Xl. BAX subsequently translocates to the mitochondrion and induces cytochrome c release and caspase activation. Herein we report the response of the key members of this proposed pathway after seizures. Seizures evoked by microinjection of kainic acid into the amygdala of the rat induced unilateral CA3 pyramidal neuron death with features of apoptosis. In control hippocampus and cortex, BAD was found constitutively bound to 14-3-3, whereas BCL-Xl bound BAX. Within damaged hippocampus, seizures induced the dissociation of BAD from 14-3-3 and the subsequent dimerization of BAD with BCL-Xl as determined by immunoprecipitation and immunohistochemical colocalization. 14-3-3 was found to translocate to the nucleus of degenerating neurons, whereas BAX accumulated at mitochondrial membranes. In contrast, the primarily uninjured cortex exhibited increased phosphorylation of Akt (protein kinase B), which may phosphorylate and inhibit BAD, and no altered binding of BAD to BCL-Xl. Finally, administration of an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (LY294002), thought to be an upstream activator of Akt, exacerbated cortical apoptosis after seizures. These data suggest that seizures elicit divergent cell death and survival responses within neuronal populations and that the BAD cell death pathway may perform an instigator or reinforcement role in seizure-induced neuronal death.
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PMID:Activation of Bcl-2-associated death protein and counter-response of Akt within cell populations during seizure-induced neuronal death. 1235 20

Activation of Akt, or protein kinase B, is frequently observed in human cancers. Here we report that Akt activation via overexpression of a constitutively active form or via the loss of PTEN can overcome a G(2)/M cell cycle checkpoint that is induced by DNA damage. Activated Akt also alleviates the reduction in CDC2 activity and mitotic index upon exposure to DNA damage. In addition, we found that PTEN null embryonic stem (ES) cells transit faster from the G(2)/M to the G(1) phase of the cell cycle when compared to wild-type ES cells and that inhibition of phosphoinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) in HEK293 cells elicits G(2) arrest that is alleviated by activated Akt. Furthermore, the transition from the G(2)/M to the G(1) phase of the cell cycle in Akt1 null mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) is attenuated when compared to that of wild-type MEFs. These results indicate that the PI3K/PTEN/Akt pathway plays a role in the regulation of G(2)/M transition. Thus, cells expressing activated Akt continue to divide, without being eliminated by apoptosis, in the presence of continuous exposure to mutagen and accumulate mutations, as measured by inactivation of an exogenously expressed herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) gene. This phenotype is independent of p53 status and cannot be reproduced by overexpression of Bcl-2 or Myc and Bcl-2 but seems to counteract a cell cycle checkpoint mediated by DNA mismatch repair (MMR). Accordingly, restoration of the G(2)/M cell cycle checkpoint and apoptosis in MMR-deficient cells, through reintroduction of the missing component of MMR, is alleviated by activated Akt. We suggest that this new activity of Akt in conjunction with its antiapoptotic activity may contribute to genetic instability and could explain its frequent activation in human cancers.
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PMID:Activation of Akt/protein kinase B overcomes a G(2)/m cell cycle checkpoint induced by DNA damage. 1239 Nov 52

The phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (PKB)/Bad signal transduction pathway is engaged in the control of apoptosis in many different cell types, particularly through phosphorylation of the Bcl-2 family protein Bad. We examined the involvement of this pathway in the control of programmed cell death in the retina of developing rats. PKB is constitutively phosphorylated in retinal tissue in vitro, whereas Bad was dephosphorylated both in Ser112 and Ser136. Cell death induced by either the PI3K inhibitor LY294002, or the general kinase inhibitor 2-aminopurine, were followed by PKB dephosphorylation, but PKB was not modulated during cell death induced by the protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin. Treatment of retinal tissue cultures with forskolin, which increases intracellular levels of cAMP, partially blocked apoptosis induced by both anisomycin and 2-aminopurine, but not by LY294002, whereas forskolin invariably induced phosphorylation of Bad on both Ser112 and Ser136. The data suggest that Bad may be engaged in survival pathways in the immature retina, but pathways other than PI3K/PKB/Bad, and phosphorylation sites other than Ser112 and Ser136 in the Bad protein control cell survival in retinal tissue.
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PMID:Selective involvement of the PI3K/PKB/bad pathway in retinal cell death. 1283 82


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