UNIPROT:P42574 - FACTA Search

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Query: UNIPROT:P42574 (caspase-3)
45,978 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

To test the hypothesis that an apoptotic process plays a role in the pathogenesis of cerebral lesions in cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), we examined samples from frontal, temporal, insular, and occipital regions, basal ganglia, and cerebellum from 4 patients with CADASIL, 2 with Binswanger disease, and 3 controls. Apoptotic cells were identified using in situ end labeling and activated caspase 3 immunostaining. Immunolabeling for Notch3, the beta-amyloid protein precursor, and phosphorylated neurofilament protein was performed on successive sections. Apoptosis of vascular cells was markedly increased in status cribrosus in CADASIL, both in basal ganglia and subcortical white matter, suggesting that concomitantly with Notch3 deposition it may play a causative role in the dilatation of Virchow-Robin spaces. Neuronal apoptosis was found in CADASIL, mostly in cortical layers 3 and 5. Its severity correlated semiquantitatively with the extent of ischemic lesions and axonal damage in the underlying white matter. It was more severe in demented patients. Only occasional apoptotic neurons were found in the Binswanger cases and none in the controls. This supports the view that neuronal apoptosis may contribute to cortical atrophy and cognitive impairment in patients with CADASIL and that it may, at least partly, result from axonal damage in the underlying white matter.
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PMID:Apoptosis in cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy. 1762 Sep 85

(1) HIV-1 and viral proteins-evoked chronic brain inflammation, which is characterized by microglial activation, is the pivotal neuropathogenesis of HIV-1-associated dementia (HAD). Platelet-activating factor (PAF), mainly released from activated microglia and acts as a high potent inflammatory mediator and a neurotoxin, is indicated to be a principle initiator of neuroinflammation, neuronal dysfunction, and apoptosis related to HAD. Thus, bis-interacting ligands of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition and PAF receptor antagonism would be of great interest in the therapeutic potential of HAD not only for improvement of cognitive performance, but also for disease-modifying. (2). We have previously reported that a novel tetrahydrofuran-derived bis-interacting ligand PMS777 had satisfying potencies for PAF receptor blockade and AChE inhibition, and markedly improved cholinergic dysfunction-induced cognitive impairment in mice. Continuing with our research, we further investigated the neuroprotective activities of PMS777 on PAF-triggered neuronal injury in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. (3) The bis-interacting ligand PMS777 (10 muM) obviously alleviated PAF-induced cell apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells. Pretreatment with PMS777 also markedly inhibited intracellular Ca(2+) overload, down-regulation of anti-apoptotic bcl-2 mRNA, stimulation of pro-apoptotic bax mRNA expression and activation of caspase-3 pathway. Also, PMS777 could fine-tune pro-inflammatory cyclooxygenase-2 (cox-2) mRNA expression in PAF-treated cells. (4) These results suggest that PMS777 possesses a neuroprotective profile via anti-apoptotic/inflammatory signaling and warrant further investigations in connection with the potential value of this compound in HAD treatment.
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PMID:PMS777, a bis-interacting ligand for PAF receptor antagonism and AChE inhibition, attenuates PAF-induced neurocytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. 1771 22

Oxidative stress, a hallmark of Alzheimer disease (AD), has been shown to induce lipid peroxidation and apoptosis disrupting cellular homeostasis. Normally, the aminophospholipid phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) is asymmetrically distributed on the cytosolic leaflet of the lipid bilayer. Under oxidative stress conditions, asymmetry is altered, characterized by the appearance of PtdSer on the outer leaflet, to initiate the first stages of an apoptotic process. PtdSer asymmetry is actively maintained by the ATP-dependent translocase flippase, whose function is inhibited if covalently bound by lipid peroxidation products, 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) and acrolein, within the membrane bilayer in which they are produced. Additionally, pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and caspase-3 have been implemented in the oxidative modification of PtdSer resulting in subsequent asymmetric collapse, while anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 has been found to prevent this process. The current investigation focused on detection of PtdSer on the outer leaflet of the bilayer in synaptosomes from brain of subjects with AD and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), as well as expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3. Fluorescence and Western blot analysis suggest PtdSer exposure on the outer leaflet is significantly increased in brain from subjects with MCI and AD contributing to early apoptotic elevation of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins and finally neuronal loss. MCI is considered a possible transition point between normal cognitive aging and probable AD. Brain from subjects with MCI is reported to have increased levels of tissue oxidation; therefore, the results of this study could mark the progression of patients with MCI into AD. This study contributes to a model of apoptosis-specific oxidation of phospholipids consistent with the notion that PtdSer exposure is required for apoptotic-cell death.
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PMID:Loss of phospholipid asymmetry and elevated brain apoptotic protein levels in subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease. 1807 76

Progressive synaptic degeneration and neuron loss are major structural correlates of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The mechanisms by which synaptic degeneration in AD occurs have not been established. The activation of proteins within the caspase family has been implicated in AD-associated neurodegeneration, and synaptically localized caspase activity could play a role in the synaptic degeneration and loss found in AD. We used synaptosomal fractionation with Western blotting and immunohistochemistry to examine the anatomical, subcellular, and subsynaptic expression patterns of caspase 3 in both the anterior cingulate cortex and hippocampus of control and AD patients. In both control and AD cases, there was a selective enrichment of caspase- 3 at synapses, particularly in the postsynaptic density (PSD) fractions. Compared with controls, AD patients exhibited significant increases in synaptic procaspase- 3 and active caspase-3 expression levels that were most evident in the PSD fractions. These data demonstrate for the first time the preferential localization and increase of caspase-3 in the PSD fractions in AD and suggest an important role for caspase 3 in synapse degeneration during disease progression.
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PMID:Caspase-3 is enriched in postsynaptic densities and increased in Alzheimer's disease. 1881 79

Transient occlusion of common carotid arteries in gerbils is a simple and widely used model for assessing histological and functional consequences of transient forebrain ischemia and neuroprotective action of pharmaceuticals. In the present study we aimed to introduce additional behavioural tests as novel object recognition and food-motivated hole-board learning in order to measure attention and learning capacity in gerbils. For validating these cognitive tests the effects of ageing (4, 9 and 18 months) and those of transient forebrain ischemia induced by bilateral carotid occlusion at 9 months of age were investigated. Neuronal cell death was estimated in the hippocampus using TUNEL and caspase-3 double fluorescence labelling and confocal microscopy. Ageing within the selected range although influenced ambulatory activity, did not considerably change attention and memory functions of gerbils. As a result of transient ischemia a selective neuronal damage in CA1 and CA2 regions of the hippocampus has been observed and tested 4 days after the insult. Ischemic gerbils became hyperactive, but showed decreased attention and impaired spatial memory functions as compared to sham-operated controls. According to our results the novel object recognition paradigm and the hole-board spatial learning test could reliably be added to the battery of conventional behavioural tests applied previously in this species. The novel tests can be performed within a wide interval of adult age and provide useful additional methods for assessing ischemia-induced cognitive impairment in gerbils.
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PMID:Adopted cognitive tests for gerbils: validation by studying ageing and ischemia. 1922 5

Genistein and folic acid have been reported respectively to protect against the development of cognitive dysfunction; however, the underlying mechanism(s) for this protection remain unknown. In this report, the mechanism(s) contributing to the neuroprotective effects of genistein and folic acid were explored using rat cortical neuron cultures. We found that genistein and folic acid, both separately and collaboratively, increased cell viability and mitochondrial membrane potential in beta-amyloid (Abeta) 31-35-treated neurons. Furthermore, reduced percentage of comet cells and shortened tail length were observed in the neurons treated with genistein or folic acid. A more significant reduction in tail length of the comet neurons was observed in the co-administered neurons. RT-PCR analysis of the cultured cortical neurons showed down-regulated expression of p53, bax and caspase-3, but up-regulated expression of bcl-2 in the three neuroprotective treatment groups compared with neurons from the Abeta31-35 solo-treated group. In a nuclear dyeing experiment using Hoechst 33342, we found that both genistein and folic acid prevent neuronal apoptosis. Collectively, these findings suggest that the mechanism underlying the neuroprotection of genistein and folic acid singly or in combination observed in cultured cortical neuron studies might be related to their anti-apoptotic properties.
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PMID:Neuroprotective effects of genistein and folic acid on apoptosis of rat cultured cortical neurons induced by beta-amyloid 31-35. 1933 99

We examined the effect of type 2 diabetes on stroke-induced Alzheimer's disease-like pathological and behavioral changes in rats. Rats were treated for 2 months with high fat diet (HFD) followed by streptozotocin (STZ) injection to induce type 2 diabetes (HFD-STZ model). Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was used to induce cerebral focal ischemia. Animals were divided into four groups: Sham-NPD, Sham-HFD-STZ, MCAO-NPD and MCAO-HFD-STZ. The results showed that HFD-STZ treatment induced obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia and insulin resistance, characteristics of type 2 diabetes. The performance of rats in the Morris water maze test was impaired in MCAO-NPD and Sham-HFD-STZ rats, indicating cognitive deficits. Hippocampal caspase-3+ and beta amyloid (Abeta+) cell numbers, as well as beta-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme (BACE1) levels and activity, increased in both groups. Moreover, HFD-STZ treatment exacerbated stroke-induced cognitive deficits, additively increased MCAO-induced activation of caspase-3, and increased levels of BACE1, C99 and Abeta. However, the level of insulin decreased in MCAO-HFD-STZ rats. These results suggested that type 2 diabetes deteriorated stroke-induced brain damage and cognitive impairment, which might be associated with increased Abeta generation and cytotoxicity. We concluded that type 2 diabetes exacerbated poststroke dementia possibly due to brain injury and synergistic generation of Abeta via activation of BACE1.
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PMID:Exacerbation of poststroke dementia by type 2 diabetes is associated with synergistic increases of beta-secretase activation and beta-amyloid generation in rat brains. 1937 2

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is associated with higher cognitive functions including attention and working memory and has been implicated in the regulation of impulsivity as well as the pathology of complex mental illnesses. N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist treatment with dizocilpine induces cell death which is greatest in the frontal cortex on post-natal day seven (P7), however the long-term structural and behavioral effects of this treatment are unknown. This study investigates both the acute neurotoxicity of P7 dizocilpine and the persistent effects of this treatment on pyramidal cells and parvalbumin interneurons in the adult PFC, a brain region involved in the regulation of impulsivity. Dizocilpine treatment on P7 increased cleaved caspase-3 immunoreactivity (IR) in the PFC on P8. In adult mice (P82), P7 dizocilpine treatment resulted in 50% fewer parvalbumin-positive interneurons (p<0.01) and 42% fewer layer V pyramidal neurons (p<0.01) in the PFC. Double immunohistochemistry revealed cleaved caspase-3 IR in both GAD67 IR interneurons and GAD67 (-) neurons. Following dizocilpine treatment at P7, adults showed reduced time in the center of the open field suggesting increased anxiety-like behavior. These findings indicate that early brain insults affecting glutamatergic neurotransmission lead to persistent brain pathology that could contribute to impulsivity and cognitive dysfunction.
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PMID:Deficits in adult prefrontal cortex neurons and behavior following early post-natal NMDA antagonist treatment. 1940 20

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. Amyloid-beta protein is considered as a key factor of pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. l-3-n-butylphthalide (L-NBP), an anti-cerebral ischemia drug, has been shown to have therapeutic effects in vascular dementia animal models. In the present study, we investigated the potential of L-NBP to protect against cognitive impairment, oxidative damage and neuropathological changes induced by intracerebroventricular infusion of amyloid-beta peptide in rats. Daily treatments of 10 and 30 mg/kg L-NBP significantly improved spatial learning deficits and attenuated working memory deficits in Morris water maze task. L-NBP partially reversed the reduction of glutathione peroxidase activities and decreased malondialdehyde levels in the cortex and hippocampus. Furthermore, L-NBP markedly inhibited amyloid-beta-induced neuronal apoptosis, possibly by blocking caspase-3 activation. In addition, L-NBP reduced activation of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta and tau protein phosphorylation. Our results demonstrate that L-NBP protects against amyloid-beta-induced neurodegeneration and cognitive decline in a rat model, suggesting that it may have potential as a therapy for Alzheimer's disease.
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PMID:L-3-n-butylphthalide improves cognitive impairment induced by intracerebroventricular infusion of amyloid-beta peptide in rats. 1973 53

Hippocampal integrity is essential for cognitive functions. On the other hand, induction of metallothionein (MT) by ZnSO(4) and its role in neuroprotection has been documented. The present study aimed to explore the effect of MT induction on carmustine (BCNU)-induced hippocampal cognitive dysfunction in rats. A total of 60 male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into four groups (15/group): The control group injected with single doses of normal saline (i.c.v) followed 24 h later by BCNU solvent (i.v). The second group administered ZnSO(4) (0.1 micromol/10 microl normal saline, i.c.v, once) then BCNU solvent (i.v) after 24 h. Third group received BCNU (20 mg/kg, i.v, once) 24 h after injection with normal saline (i.c.v). Fourth group received a single dose of ZnSO(4) (0.1 micromol/10 microl normal saline, i.c.v) then BCNU (20 mg/kg, i.v, once) after 24 h. The obtained data revealed that BCNU administration resulted in deterioration of learning and short-term memory (STM), as measured by using radial arm water maze, accompanied with decreased hippocampal glutathione reductase (GR) activity and reduced glutathione (GSH) content. Also, BCNU administration increased serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha), hippocampal MT and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents as well as caspase-3 activity in addition to histological alterations. ZnSO(4) pretreatment counteracted BCNU-induced inhibition of GR and depletion of GSH and resulted in significant reduction in the levels of MDA and TNFalpha as well as the activity of caspase-3. The histological features were improved in hippocampus of rats treated with ZnSO(4) + BCNU compared to only BCNU-treated animals. In conclusion, MT induction halts BCNU-induced hippocampal toxicity as it prevented GR inhibition and GSH depletion and counteracted the increased levels of TNFalpha, MDA and caspase-3 activity with subsequent preservation of cognition.
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PMID:Metallothionein induction reduces caspase-3 activity and TNFalpha levels with preservation of cognitive function and intact hippocampal neurons in carmustine-treated rats. 2004 42

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