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)

Amplification of the MYCN gene is found in a large proportion of neuroblastoma and considered as an adverse prognostic factor. To investigate the effect of ectopic MycN expression on the susceptibility of neuroblastoma cells to cytotoxic drugs we used a human neuroblastoma cell line harboring tetracycline-controlled expression of MycN. Neither conditional expression of MycN alone nor low drug concentrations triggered apoptosis. However, when acting in concert, MycN and cytotoxic drugs efficiently induced cell death. Apoptosis depended on mitochondrial permeability transition and activation of caspases, since the mitochondrion-specific inhibitor bongkrekic acid and the caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk almost completely abrogated apoptosis. Loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and release of cytochrome c from mitochondria preceded activation of caspase-8 and caspase-3 and cleavage of PARP. CD95 expression was upregulated by treatment with cytotoxic drugs, while MycN cooperated with cytotoxic drugs to increase sensitivity to CD95-induced apoptosis and enhancing CD95-L expression. MycN overexpression and cytotoxic drugs also synergized to induce p53 and Bax protein expression, while Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) protein levels remained unchanged. Since amplification of MYCN is usually associated with a poor prognosis, these findings suggest that dysfunctions in apoptosis pathways may be a mechanism by which MycN-induced apoptosis of neuroblastoma cells is inhibited.
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PMID:MycN sensitizes neuroblastoma cells for drug-induced apoptosis. 1005 Aug 84

The proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) prevent apoptosis, but their mechanism of action is unclear. We examined the role of Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) in the regulation of cytosolic Ca(2+), nitric oxide production (NO), c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) activation, and apoptosis in Jurkat T cells. Thapsigargin (TG), an inhibitor of the endoplasmic reticulum-associated Ca(2+) ATPase, was used to disrupt Ca(2+) homeostasis. TG acutely elevated intracellular free Ca(2+) and mitochondrial Ca(2+) levels and induced NO production and apoptosis in Jurkat cells transfected with vector (JT/Neo). Buffering of this Ca(2+) response with 1, 2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid tetra(acetoxymethyl) ester (BAPTA-AM) or inhibiting NO synthase activity with N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME) blocked TG-induced NO production and apoptosis in JT/Neo cells. By contrast, while TG produced comparable early changes in the Ca(2+) level (i.e., within 3 h) in Jurkat cells overexpressing Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) (JT/Bcl-2 or JT/Bcl-X(L)), NO production, late (36-h) Ca(2+) accumulation, and apoptosis were dramatically reduced compared to those in JT/Neo cells. Exposure of JT/Bcl-2 and JT/Bcl-X(L) cells to the NO donor, S-nitroso-N-acetylpenacillamine (SNAP) resulted in apoptosis comparable to that seen in JT/Neo cells. TG also activated the JNK pathway, which was blocked by L-NAME. Transient expression of a dominant negative mutant SEK1 (Lys-->Arg), an upstream kinase of JNK, prevented both TG-induced JNK activation and apoptosis. A dominant negative c-Jun mutant also reduced TG-induced apoptosis. Overexpression of Bcl-2 or Bcl-X(L) inhibited TG-induced loss in mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome c, and activation of caspase-3 and JNK. Inhibition of caspase-3 activation blocked TG-induced JNK activation, suggesting that JNK activation occurred downstream of caspase-3. Thus, TG-induced Ca(2+) release leads to NO generation followed by mitochondrial changes including cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activation. Caspase-3 activation leads to activation of the JNK pathway and apoptosis. In summary, Ca(2+)-dependent activation of NO production mediates apoptosis after TG exposure in JT/Neo cells. JT/Bcl-2 and JT/Bcl-X(L) cells are susceptible to NO-mediated apoptosis, but Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) protect the cells against TG-induced apoptosis by negatively regulating Ca(2+)-sensitive NO synthase activity or expression.
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PMID:Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) block thapsigargin-induced nitric oxide generation, c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase activity, and apoptosis. 1040 55

Mice with a null mutation of the gene encoding interferon consensus sequence-binding protein (ICSBP) develop a disease with marked expansion of granulocytes and macrophages that frequently progresses to a fatal blast crisis, thus resembling human chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). One important feature of CML is decreased responsiveness of myeloid cells to apoptotic stimuli. Here we show that myeloid cells from mice deficient in ICSBP exhibit reduced spontaneous apoptosis and a significant decrease in sensitivity to apoptosis induced by DNA damage. In contrast, apoptosis in thymocytes from ICSBP-deficient mice is unaffected. We also show that overexpression of ICSBP in the human U937 monocytic cell line enhances the rate of spontaneous apoptosis and the sensitivity to apoptosis induced by etoposide, lipopolysaccharide plus ATP, or rapamycin. Programmed cell death induced by etoposide was specifically blocked by peptides inhibitory for the caspase-1 or caspase-3 subfamilies of caspases. Studies of proapoptotic genes showed that cells overexpressing ICSBP have enhanced expression of caspase-3 precursor protein. In addition, analyses of antiapoptotic genes showed that overexpression of ICSBP results in decreased expression of Bcl-X(L). These data suggest that ICSBP modulates survival of myeloid cells by regulating expression of apoptosis-related genes.
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PMID:Regulation of apoptosis in myeloid cells by interferon consensus sequence-binding protein. 1043 Jun 29

The familial Alzheimer's disease gene products, presenilin-1 and presenilin-2, have been reported to be functionally involved in amyloid precursor protein processing, notch receptor signaling, and programmed cell death or apoptosis. However, the molecular mechanisms by which presenilins regulate these processes remain unknown. With regard to the latter, we describe a molecular link between presenilins and the apoptotic pathway. Bcl-X(L), an anti-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family was shown to interact with the carboxyl-terminal fragments of PS1 and PS2 by the yeast two-hybrid system. In vivo interaction analysis revealed that both PS2 and its naturally occurring carboxyl-terminal products, PS2short and PS2Ccas, associated with Bcl-X(L), whereas the caspase-3-generated amino-terminal PS2Ncas fragment did not. This interaction was corroborated by demonstrating that Bcl-X(L) and PS2 partially co-localized to sites of the vesicular transport system. Functional analysis revealed that presenilins can influence mitochondrial-dependent apoptotic activities, such as cytochrome c release and Bax-mediated apoptosis. Together, these data support a possible role of the Alzheimer's presenilins in modulating the anti-apoptotic effects of Bcl-X(L).
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PMID:Interaction of Alzheimer's presenilin-1 and presenilin-2 with Bcl-X(L). A potential role in modulating the threshold of cell death. 1044 69

Detachment of most untransformed adherent cells from the extracellular matrix promotes apoptosis, in a process termed anoikis [1] [2]. The death signalling mechanisms involved in this process are not known, although adhesion or transformation by ras oncogenes have been shown to protect epithelial cells from apoptosis through activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) [3]. Here we show that detachment-induced apoptosis (anoikis) is blocked by the expression of a dominant-negative form of FAS-associated death domain protein (FADD) in a number of untransformed epithelial cell lines. Because the soluble extracellular domains of the death receptors CD95, DR4 and DR5 failed to block anoikis, we conclude that ligand-dependent activation of these death receptors is not involved in this process. Detachment induced strong activation of caspase 8 and caspase 3. Detachment-induced caspase-8 activation did not require the function of downstream caspases but was blocked by overexpression of the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 or Bcl-X(L). We propose that caspase-8 activation is the initiating event in anoikis, which is subsequently subject to a positive-feedback loop involving mitochondrial events.
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PMID:Involvement of FADD and caspase-8 signalling in detachment-induced apoptosis. 1050 19

The number of neurons in the mammalian brain is determined by a balance between cell proliferation and programmed cell death. Recent studies indicated that Bcl-X(L) prevents, whereas Caspase-3 mediates, cell death in the developing nervous system, but whether Bcl-X(L) directly blocks the apoptotic function of Caspase-3 in vivo is not known. To examine this question, we generated bcl-x/caspase-3 double mutants and found that caspase-3 deficiency abrogated the increased apoptosis of postmitotic neurons but not the increased hematopoietic cell death and embryonic lethality caused by the bcl-x mutation. In contrast, caspase-3, but not bcl-x, deficiency changed the normal incidence of neuronal progenitor cell apoptosis, consistent with the lack of expression of Bcl-X(L) in the proliferative population of the embryonic cortex. Thus, although Caspase-3 is epistatically downstream to Bcl-X(L) in postmitotic neurons, it independently regulates apoptosis of neuronal founder cells. Taken together, these results establish a role of programmed cell death in regulating the size of progenitor population in the central nervous system, a function that is distinct from the classic role of cell death in matching postmitotic neuronal population with postsynaptic targets.
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PMID:Epistatic and independent functions of caspase-3 and Bcl-X(L) in developmental programmed cell death. 1061 41

The apoptosis-resistant phenotype of cloned high-metastatic A11 and low-metastatic P29 cells isolated from Lewis lung carcinoma was compared. The results showed that A11 cells were more resistant to apoptosis induced by microenvironmental stresses such as serum starvation, glucose deprivation and hypoxia than P29 cells as judged by viability, DNA laddering, and chromatin condensation and fragmentation. Both cell lines were insensitive to tumor necrosis factor-alpha-mediated apoptosis. P29 cells expressed a much higher level of Fas antigen on the cell surface than A11 cells. However, both cell lines were also insensitive to Fas-mediated apoptosis. The apoptosis resistant phenotype of A11 cells was associated with the expression level of caspase-3, but not with those of Bcl-2, Bcl-X(L) Bax, p27Kip1 and DAP kinase. There was no difference between A11 and P29 cells in the expression of E-cadherin, the adhesiveness to the extracellular matrix components or the expression levels of metastasis-associated genes such as c-Ha-ras, c-jun, p53 and nm23. Furthermore, A11 cells exhibited lower motile and invasive abilities than P29 cells. These results suggest that the apoptosis-resistant phenotype is an important factor for determining the metastatic ability of A11 cells. Supporting this, P29 cells became more apoptosis-resistant after treatment of the cells with dimethylsulfoxide which is reported to enhance the experimental metastatic potential of the cells.
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PMID:Resistance to apoptosis induced by microenvironmental stresses is correlated with metastatic potential in Lewis lung carcinoma. 1065 7

Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) induces apoptosis in a variety of cell lines. The mechanism(s) of this effect is not known, although the focus has been on the ability of NDGA to inhibit lipoxygenase (LOX) activities. In the present study, NDGA-induced apoptosis was studied in a murine hematopoietic cell line, FL5.12. Although this cell line lacks detectable LOX protein or activities, NDGA (10 microM) was able to induce apoptosis. There was a massive loss of mitochondrial membrane potential by 4 h after the addition of NDGA, suggesting that this organelle might be targeted by NDGA. A pro-oxidant NDGA effect has been suggested as playing a role in apoptosis. This was supported by the findings that glutathione disulfide levels were increased by 4 h following treatment with 10 microM NDGA, that pretreatment with N-acetylcysteine completely blocked the NDGA-induced loss of membrane potential and apoptosis, and that lipid peroxidation was enhanced in cells treated with NDGA. However, no evidence of increased levels of reactive oxygen could be seen in NDGA-treated cells loaded with dichlorofluorescin diacetate or dihydrorhodamine and analyzed by flow cytometry. Bcl-X(L) protein levels were unaffected by NDGA treatment. Caspase-3 was rapidly activated with a peak at 8 h after FL5.12 cells were treated with NDGA. Ac-DEVD-CHO (25 microM) and boc-asp-FMK (20 microM) both inhibited caspase-3 enzyme activity by 97% 8 h after NDGA treatment. Boc-asp-FMK, a more general caspase inhibitor, delayed NDGA-induced apoptosis while Ac-DEVD-CHO, a more specific inhibitor of caspase-3, had no effect. These results suggest that NDGA-induced apoptosis happens through reactions that depolarize mitochondria, oxidize glutathione and lipids, but do not generate significant amounts of free reactive oxygen species.
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PMID:Glutathione oxidation and mitochondrial depolarization as mechanisms of nordihydroguaiaretic acid-induced apoptosis in lipoxygenase-deficient FL5.12 cells. 1065 24

Dysregulation of normal programmed cell death mechanisms plays an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of breast cancer, as well as in responses of tumors to therapeutic intervention. Overexpression of anti-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family such as Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) has been implicated in cancer chemoresistance, whereas high levels of pro-apoptotic proteins such as Bax promote apoptosis and sensitize tumor cells to various anticancer therapies. Though the mechanisms by which Bcl-2 family proteins regulate apoptosis are diverse, ultimately they govern decision steps that determine whether certain caspase family cell death proteases remain quiescent or become active. To date, approximately 17 cellular homologs of Bcl-2 and at least 15 caspases have been identified in mammals. Other types of proteins may also modulate apoptotic responses through effects on apoptosis-regulatory proteins, such as BAG-1-a heat shock protein 70 kDa (Hsp70/Hsc70)-binding protein that can modulate stress responses and alter the functions of a variety of proteins involved in cell death and division. In this report, we summarize our attempts thus far to explore the expression of several Bcl-2 family proteins, caspase-3, and BAG-1 in primary breast cancer specimens and breast cancer cell lines. Moreover, we describe some of our preliminary observations concerning the prognostic significance of these apoptosis regulatory proteins in breast cancer patients, contrasting results derived from women with localized disease (with or without node involvement) and metastatic cancer.
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PMID:Prognostic significance of apoptosis regulators in breast cancer. 1073 84

Recent studies have indicated that induction of apoptosis is the primary cytotoxic mechanism of most cancer chemotherapeutic agents, and abnormalities in the control of apoptosis can affect the sensitivity of malignant cells to multiple drugs. Here, we treated cells with cisplatin and other apoptotic stimuli and found that multidrug-resistant (MDR) endocervical HEN-16-2/CDDP cells, compared with drug-sensitive parental cells, were significantly more resistant to apoptosis and exhibited decreased proteolytic activation of caspase-3. The latter was further demonstrated by decreased cleavage of its substrate poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Further, Western blot analysis showed that MDR HEN-16-2/CDDP cells had significantly higher levels of the apoptosis-inhibiting proteins BAG-1 p50 and p33 isoforms and Bcl-X(L). This study provided the first evidence that overexpression of antiapoptotic BAG-1 p50 and p33 and Bcl-X(L) may cause resistance to apoptosis through reduction of caspase-3 activity in human cervical cells having an MDR phenotype.
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PMID:Resistance to apoptosis is correlated with the reduced caspase-3 activation and enhanced expression of antiapoptotic proteins in human cervical multidrug-resistant cells. 1075 39

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