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Query: UNIPROT:P10415 (
Bcl-2
)
33,771
document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)
The majority of elderly men are affected by benign and malign diseases of the prostate that are governed by endocrine factors and local stromal/epithelial and luminal/epithelial interactions. Prostate epithelial cells secrete numerous factors into the seminal plasma (SMP) that are thought to be responsible for nutrition, accurate pH, and ionic environment of sperm. Our hypothesis assumes that prostatic factors responsible for optimal fertility might have retrograde influences on epithelial cell growth, differentiation, and function. SMP was analyzed for proteins and other biologically active substances by size exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography. Each fraction was investigated for its effect on cell growth and death. A low molecular mass fraction (2-4 kDa) was responsible for inducing apoptosis in proliferating prostate epithelial cells. Signal transduction was mediated by the production of cAMP; no significant changes in
tyrosine
phosphorylation of membrane receptors were observed. Mechanisms of apoptosis, i.e., caspase- and mitochondria-dependent pathways, were investigated in prostate epithelial cells by caspase activity assays, annexin/propidium iodide staining, changes in mitochondrial potential, p53, Par-4, Bax, and
Bcl-2
protein levels. SMP induced p53- and
Bcl-2
-dependent apoptosis without activation of caspase-3. Obviously, SMP contains protective factors that help eliminate degenerated cells and control epithelial renewal. Age-related changes in the composition of SMP or the susceptibility of epithelial cells might, therefore, contribute to proliferative prostatic diseases
...
PMID:A low-molecular-weight fraction of human seminal plasma activates adenylyl cyclase and induces caspase 3-independent apoptosis in prostatic epithelial cells by decreasing mitochondrial potential and Bcl-2/Bax ratio. 1125 85
Erythroid progenitor cells (EPCs) are deficient in mice lacking either the ligand stem cell factor (SCF), its receptor c-Kit, or beta(1)-integrins. In nonhematopoietic cells, integrins and receptor
tyrosine
kinases can collaborate to modulate cellular functions, providing evidence for cross-talk between signals emerging from these cell surface molecules. Using specific recombinant fibronectin peptides that contain the binding site for the integrin alpha(4)beta(1) (FN-H296) or alpha(5)beta(1) (FN-CH271) or both alpha(4)beta(1) and alpha(5)beta(1) (FN-CH296), this study investigated the effect of adhesion alone, or in combination with activation of c-Kit, on functional and biochemical outcomes in an EPC line, G1E-ER2, and primary EPCs. G1E-ER2 cells and primary EPCs cultured on FN-CH271 in the presence of c-Kit activation led to a significant increase in proliferation in comparison with cells grown on FN-H296 or FN-CH296. G1E-ER2 cells cultured on FN-H296 or FN-CH296 resulted in significant cell death in comparison to cells grown on FN-CH271. Activation of c-Kit enhanced the survival of G1E-ER2 cells grown on FN-H296 or FN-CH296; however, the rescue was only partial. The reduced survival of G1E-ER2 cells on FN-H296 correlated with reduced activation of Akt and expression of
Bcl-2
and Bcl-x(L), whereas increase in proliferation on FN-CH271 correlated with significantly enhanced and sustained activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK) pathways. These data demonstrate that adhesion-induced signals emanating from ligation of alpha(4)beta(1) and alpha(5)beta(1) result in distinct biologic outcomes, including death via alpha(4)beta(1) and survival/proliferation via alpha(5)beta(1). (Blood. 2001;97:1975-1981)
...
PMID:Cross-talk between alpha(4)beta(1)/alpha(5)beta(1) and c-Kit results in opposing effect on growth and survival of hematopoietic cells via the activation of focal adhesion kinase, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and Akt signaling pathways. 1126 61
NGF has been shown to support neuron survival by activating the transcription factor nuclear factor-kappaB (NFkappaB). We investigated the effect of NGF on the expression of Bcl-xL, an anti-apoptotic
Bcl-2
family protein. Treatment of rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells, human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, or primary rat hippocampal neurons with NGF (0.1-10 ng/ml) increased the expression of bcl-xL mRNA and protein. Reporter gene analysis revealed a significant increase in NFkappaB activity after treatment with NGF that was associated with increased nuclear translocation of the active NFkappaB p65 subunit. NGF-induced NFkappaB activity and Bcl-xL expression were inhibited in cells overexpressing the NFkappaB inhibitor, IkappaBalpha. Unlike tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), however, NGF-induced NFkappaB activation occurred without significant degradation of IkappaBs determined by Western blot analysis and time-lapse imaging of neurons expressing green fluorescent protein-tagged IkappaBalpha. Moreover, in contrast to TNF-alpha, NGF failed to phosphorylate IkappaBalpha at serine residue 32, but instead caused significant
tyrosine
phosphorylation. Overexpression of a Y42F mutant of IkappaBalpha potently suppressed NFG-, but not TNF-alpha-induced NFkappaB activation. Conversely, overexpression of a dominant negative mutant of TNF receptor-associated factor-6 blocked TNF-alpha-, but not NGF-induced NFkappaB activation. We conclude that NGF and TNF-alpha induce different signaling pathways in neurons to activate NFkappaB and bcl-x gene expression.
...
PMID:Activation of nuclear factor kappaB and Bcl-x survival gene expression by nerve growth factor requires tyrosine phosphorylation of IkappaBalpha. 1126 66
The molecular changes associated with the transition of melanoma cells from radial growth phase (RGP) to vertical growth phase [(VGP), metastatic phenotype] are not very well defined. We previously demonstrated that expression of the cell-surface adhesion molecule MCAM/MUC18 correlates directly with the metastatic potential of human melanoma cells. In addition, the progression of human melanoma towards the metastatic phenotype is associated with loss of expression of the
tyrosine
-kinase receptor c-KIT. In this review, I will summarize our recent studies demonstrating that the expression of both genes is regulated by the AP-2 transcription factor. Moreover, we have observed a loss of AP-2 expression in metastatic melanoma cells. Re-expression of AP-2 in the highly metastatic A375SM cells decreased their tumorigenicity and inhibited their metastatic potential in nude mice. MCAM/MUC18 mRNA and protein expression was significantly down-regulated while c-KIT expression was up-regulated in the AP-2-transfected cells. To further investigate the role of AP-2 in the progression of human melanoma, we attempted to inactivate AP-2 in primary cutaneous melanoma by using a dominant-negative AP-2, or the AP-2B gene. Expression of AP-2B in SB-2 cells augmented their tumorigenicity in nude mice, and upregulated MMP-2 expression and activity. As AP-2 also regulates other genes that are involved in the progression of human melanoma such as E-cadherin, p21/WAF-1, HER2/neu,
Bcl-2
, FAS/APO-1, IGF-R-1, VEGF and the thrombin receptor (PAR-1), we therefore propose that loss of AP-2 is a crucial event in the development of malignant melanoma. In addition, the transition of melanoma cells from RGP to VGP is also associated with over-expression of the transcription factors CREB and ATF-1. The notion that the balance between AP-2 and CREB/ATF-1 expression determines the progression of melanoma cells towards the metastatic phenotype will be discussed.
...
PMID:Gene regulation in melanoma progression by the AP-2 transcription factor. 1131 Jul 95
Flavopiridol inhibits phosphokinases. Its activity is strongest on cyclin dependent kinases (cdk-1, -2, -4, -6, -7) and less on receptor
tyrosine
kinases (EGFR), receptor associates
tyrosine
kinases (pp60 Src) and on signal transducing kinases (PKC and Erk-1). Although the inhibiting activity of flavopiridol is strongest for cdk, the cytotoxic activity of flavopiridol is not limited to cycling cells. Resting cells are also killed. This fact suggests that inhibition of cdks involved in the control of cell cycle is not the only mechanism of action. Inhibition of cdk's with additional functions (i.e. involved in the control of transcription or function of proteins that do not control cell cycle) may contribute to the antitumoral effect. Moreover, direct and indirect inhibition of receptor activation (EGFR) and/or a direct inhibition of kinases (pp60 Src, PKC, Erk-1) involved in the signal transduction pathway could play a role in the antiproliferative activity of flavopiridol. From pharmacokinetic data in patients it can be concluded that the inhibitory activity (IC50) of flavopiridol on these kinases is in the range of concentrations that might be achieved intracellularly after systemic application of non-toxic doses of flavopiridol. However, no in situ data from flavopiridol treated cells have been published yet that prove that by inhibition of EGFR, pp60 Src, PKC and/or Erk-1 (in addition to inhibition of cdk's) flavopiridol is able to induce apoptosis. Thus many questions regarding the detailed mechanism of antitumoral action of flavopiridol are still open. For the design of protocols for future clinical studies this review covers the essential information available on the mechanism of antitumoral activity of flavopiridol. The characteristics of this antitumoral activity include: High rate of apoptosis, especially in leukemic cells; synergy with the antitumoral activity of many cytostatics; independence of its efficacy on pRb, p53 and
Bcl-2
expression; lack of interference with the most frequent multidrug resistance proteins (P-glycoprotein and MRP-190); and a strong antiangiogenic activity. Based on these pharmacological data it can be concluded that flavopiridol could be therapeutically active in tumor patients: independent on the genetic status of their tumors or leukemias (i.e. mutations of the pRb and/or p53, amplification of bcl-2); in spite of drug resistance of their tumors induced by first line treatment (and caused by enhanced expression of multidrug resistance proteins); in combination with conventional chemotherapeutics preferentially given prior to flavopiridol; and due to a complex mechanism involving cytotoxicity on cycling and on resting tumor cells, apoptosis and antiangiogenic activity. In consequence, flavopiridol is a highly attractive, new antitumoral compound and deserves further elucidation of its clinical potency.
...
PMID:Mechanisms of action of flavopiridol. 1131 60
Studies indicate that phosphorylated
Bcl-2
cannot form a heterodimer with Bax and thus may lose its antiapoptotic potential. The present study tests the hypothesis that graded hypoxia in cerebral tissue induces the phosphorylation of
Bcl-2
, thus altering the heterodimerization of
Bcl-2
with Bax and subsequently leading to apoptosis. Anesthetized, ventilated newborn piglets were assigned to a normoxic and a graded hypoxic group. Cerebral cortical neuronal nuclei were isolated and immunoprecipitated; immune complexes were separated and reacted with
Bcl-2
and Bax specific antibodies. The results show an increased level of serine/
tyrosine
phosphorylated
Bcl-2
in nuclear membranes of hypoxic animals. The level of phosphorylated
Bcl-2
protein increased linearly with decrease in tissue PCr. The level of phosphorylated Bax in the neuronal nuclear membranes was independent of cerebral tissue PCr. The data shows that during hypoxia, there is increased phosphorylation of
Bcl-2
, which may prevent its heterodimerization with Bax and lead to increased proapoptotic activity due to excess Bax in the hypoxic brain. Further increased phosphorylation of
Bcl-2
may alter the
Bcl-2
/Bax-dependent antioxidant, lipid peroxidation and pore forming activity, as well as the regulation of intranuclear Ca2+ and caspase activation pathways. We speculate that increased phosphorylation of
Bcl-2
in neuronal nuclear membranes is a potential mechanism of programmed cell death activation in the hypoxic brain.
...
PMID:Phosphorylation of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins during hypoxia in newborn piglets. 1135 75
Persistent B-cell lymphocytosis (PPBL) is a haematological disorder diagnosed primarily in adult female smokers that is characterized by a polyclonal increase in peripheral blood B lymphocytes and a moderate elevation of serum IgM. B lymphocyte-associated cellular abnormalities, such as the occurrence of multi-lobed nuclei, increased
bcl2
/Ig gene rearrangements and the identification of an extra long-arm chromosome (i3)(q10) in the B-cell population, indicate that PPBL could be part of a multi-step process leading to the emergence of a malignant B lymphoproliferation. However, the resulting impact on cellular functional properties remains to be elucidated. Our goal was to address that aspect via the study of B-cell activity following stimulation through CD40, a key molecule of the tumour necrosis factor receptor superfamily involved in B lymphocyte development. In contrast to normal B cells, PPBL B lymphocytes were unable to respond to the proliferative signal delivered in vitro by CD40, indicating a defect in the CD40 activation pathway. Polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of the receptor as well as FACScan analysis of patient B lymphocytes dismissed the possibility of a defect in either CD40 structure or expression. Moreover, Western blot analysis of
tyrosine
phosphorylation, an early event in the CD40-signalling cascade, was similar in patients and controls, leading to the conclusion that the defect affecting B lymphocytes in PPBL patients is probably located downstream of that signalling cascade.
...
PMID:Lack of CD40-dependent B-cell proliferation in B lymphocytes isolated from patients with persistent polyclonal B-cell lymphocytosis. 1138 Apr 61
Members of the
Bcl-2
family of apoptosis-regulating proteins contain at least one of the four evolutionarily conserved domains, termed BH1, BH2, BH3, or BH4. Here, we report the identification, cloning, physical mapping, and expression pattern of BCL2L12, a novel gene that encodes a BCL2-like proline-rich protein. Proline-rich sites have been shown to interact with Src homology region 3 (SH3) domains of several
tyrosine
kinases, mediating their oncogenic potential. This new gene maps to chromosome 19q13.3 and is located between the IRF3 and the PRMT1/HRMT1L2 genes, close to the RRAS gene. BCL2L12 is composed of seven coding exons and six intervening introns, spanning a genomic area of 8.8 kb. All of the exon-intron splice sites conform to the consensus sequence for eukaryotic splice sites. The BCL2L12 protein is composed of 334 amino acids, with a calculated molecular mass of 36.8 kDa and an isoelectric point of 9.45. The BCL2L12 protein contains one BH2 homology domain, one proline-rich region similar to the TC21 protein and, five consensus PXXP tetrapeptide sequences. BCL2L12 is expressed mainly in breast, thymus, prostate, fetal liver, colon, placenta, pancreas, small intestine, spinal cord, kidney, and bone marrow and to a lesser extent in many other tissues. We also identified one splice variant of BCL2L12 that is primarily expressed in skeletal muscle.
...
PMID:Molecular cloning, physical mapping, and expression analysis of a novel gene, BCL2L12, encoding a proline-rich protein with a highly conserved BH2 domain of the Bcl-2 family. 1140 36
The small and large intestines differ in their expression profiles of
Bcl-2
homologs. Intestinal segment-specific
Bcl-2
homolog expression profiles are acquired as early as by mid-gestation (18-20 weeks) in man. In the present study, we examined the question whether such distinctions underlie segment-specific control mechanisms of intestinal cell survival. Using mid-gestation human jejunum and colon organotypic cultures, we analyzed the impact of growth factors (namely insulin; 10 microg/ml) and pharmacological compounds that inhibit signal transduction molecules/pathways (namely
tyrosine
kinases, Fak, P13-K/Akt, and MEK/Erk) on cell survival and
Bcl-2
homolog expression (anti-apoptotic:
Bcl-2
, Bcl-X(L), Mcl-1; pro-apoptotic: Bax, Bak, Bad). The relative activation levels of p125Fak, p42Erk-2, and p57Akt were analyzed as well. Herein, we report that (1) the inhibition of signal transduction molecules/pathways revealed striking differences in their impact on cell survival in the jejunum and colon (e.g., the inhibition of p125Fak induced apoptosis with a significantly greater extent in the jejunum [approximately 43%] than in the colon [approximately 24%]); (2) sharp distinctions between the two segments were noted in the modulatory effects of the various treatments on
Bcl-2
homolog steady-state levels (e.g., inhibition of tyrosine kinase activities in the jejunum down-regulated all anti-apoptotics analyzed while increasing Bax, whereas the same treatment in the colon down-regulated Bcl-X(L) only and increased all pro-apoptotics); and (3) in addition to their differential impact on cell survival and
Bcl-2
homolog expression, the MEK/Erk and P13-K/Akt pathways were found to be distinctively regulated in the jejunum and colon mucosae (e.g., insulin in the jejunum increased p42Erk-2 activation without affecting that of p57Akt, whereas the same treatment in the colon decreased p42Erk-2 activation while increasing that of p57Akt). Altogether, these data show that intestinal cell survival is characterized by segment-specific susceptibilities to apoptosis, which are in turn linked with segmental distinctions in the involvement of signaling pathways and the regulation of
Bcl-2
homolog steady-state levels. Therefore, these indicate that cell survival is subject to segment-specific control mechanisms along the proximal-distal axis of the intestine.
...
PMID:Differential sensitivity to apoptosis between the human small and large intestinal mucosae: linkage with segment-specific regulation of BCL-2 homologs and involvement of signaling pathways. 1152 58
The mechanism by which nitric oxide (NO) protects from apoptosis is a matter of debate. We have shown previously that phosphorylation of
tyrosine
residues participates in the protection from apoptosis in insulin-producing RINm5F cells (Inorg. Chem. Commun. 3 (2000) 32). Since NO has been reported to activate the tyrosine kinase c-Src and this kinase is involved in the activation of protein kinase G (PKG) in some cell systems, we aimed at studying the contribution of c-Src and PKG systems in anti-apoptotic actions of NO in serum-deprived RINm5F cells. Here we report that exposure of serum-deprived cells to 10 microM DETA/NO results in protection from degradation of the anti-apoptotic protein
Bcl-2
, together with a reduction of cytochrome c release from mitochondria and caspase-3 inhibition. Studies with the inhibitors ODQ and KT-5823 revealed that these actions are dependent on both activation of guanylate cyclase and PKG. DETA/NO was also able to induce autophosphorylation and activation c-Src protein both in vivo and in vitro and active c-Src was able to induce
tyrosine
phosphorylation of
Bcl-2
in vitro. The c-Src kinase inhibitor PP1 abrogated the actions of DETA/NO on cGMP formation, PKG activation, caspase activation, cytochrome c release from mitochondria, and
Bcl-2
phosphorylation and degradation in serum-deprived cells. We thus propose that activation of c-Src is an early step in the chain of events that signal cGMP-dependent anti-apoptotic actions of NO in mitocohondria.
...
PMID:Evidence for involvement of c-Src in the anti-apoptotic action of nitric oxide in serum-deprived RINm5F cells. 1158 16
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