Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P42574 (caspase-3)
45,978 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Chemoresistance is a major therapeutic problem and the current knowledge on cellular mechanisms involved is incomplete. In the present study, we have investigated the possible involvement of Fas-associated death domain-like interleukin-1beta-converting enzyme (FLICE)-like inhibitory protein (FLIP) in ovarian cancer resistance by comparing chemosensitive (OV2008) and chemoresistant (C13*) ovarian cancer cells treated with cisplatin in vitro, and/or transfected with FLIP sense cDNA or FLIP small interfering RNA (siRNA) and determining FLIP protein content, cleavage of caspase-8 and caspase-3 and apoptosis. Cisplatin significantly decreased FLIP protein level, induced cleavage of caspase-8 and caspase-3 and apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner in cisplatin-sensitive but not -resistant cells. While overexpression of FLIP-attenuated cisplatin-induced cleavage of caspase-8 and caspase-3 and apoptosis in chemosensitive cells, downregulation of FLIP in chemoresistant cells by siRNA increased apoptosis induced by cisplatin. These results suggest that FLIP plays a significant role in the regulation of apoptosis in human ovarian cancer cells and their sensitivity to cisplatin. This cell survival factor may be an important determinant in chemoresistance in ovarian cancer and may serve as a molecular target for the development of novel therapy for chemoresistant ovarian cancer.
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PMID:Possible role of FLICE-like inhibitory protein (FLIP) in chemoresistant ovarian cancer cells in vitro. 1525 64

Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) and its receptor are frequently expressed in human ovarian and endometrial cancers and are part of an autocrine mechanism of growth control. We have previously shown that the LHRH analog Triptorelin induces activation of nucleus factor kappa B (NFkappaB) and reduces apoptosis induced by doxorubicin in human ovarian cancer cells EFO-21 and EFO-27. The present study was performed to investigate the anti-apoptotic effects of LHRH analogs on apoptosis induced by doxorubicin, UV-light and ligation of CD95 in human endometrial and ovarian cancer cells. We further investigated the interaction of the LHRH system with the apoptotic pathway focusing on the effector-protease caspase 3. Doxorubicin (100 nM) induced apoptosis in the LHRH-receptor-positive human endometrial cancer cell line Ishikawa and in the human ovarian cancer cell lines EFO-21 and NIH:OVCAR-3. Pretreatment for 24 h with native LHRH, the LHRH agonist Triptorelin or the LHRH antagonist Cetrorelix (100 nM) significantly reduced apoptosis induced by doxorubicin in these cells. In EFO-21 cells pretreatment with 100 nM Triptorelin also reduced UV-light-induced apoptosis from 76% to 62.7% (p<0.01). EFO-21 cells express CD95. Cross-linking of CD95 with monoclonal antibody anti-APO-1 (500 ng/ml) increased apoptosis from spontaneous rate to 10.3% to 38.3% in EFO-21 cells (p<0.001). Pre-treatment with Triptorelin did not reduce CD95-mediated apoptosis in these cells. LHRH analogs protect human endometrial and ovarian cancer cells from DNA-replication-dependent cytotoxic agent and UV-light-induced apoptosis, but not from CD95-mediated apoptosis.
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PMID:Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) inhibits apoptosis induced by cytotoxic agent and UV-light but not apoptosis mediated through CD95 in human ovarian and endometrial cancer cells. 1527 47

L-Ascorbic acid (LAA) is being investigated clinically for the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) based on the observed effects of LAA on AML progenitor cells in vitro. However, the mechanism for LAA-induced cytoreduction remains to be elucidated. LAA at concentrations of 0.25-1.0 mM induced a dose- and time-dependent inhibition of proliferation in three AML cell lines and also in leukemic cells from peripheral blood specimens obtained from three patients with AML. In contrast, ovarian cancer cell lines were only minimally affected. Flow cytometric analysis showed that LAA at concentrations of 0.25-1.0 mM could significantly induce apoptosis in the AML cell lines. LAA induced oxidation of glutathione to oxidized form (GSSG) and subsequent H(2)O(2) accumulation in a concentration-dependent manner, in parallel to induction of apoptosis. The direct role of H(2)O(2) in the induction of apoptosis in AML cells was clearly demonstrated by the finding that catalase could completely abrogate LAA-induced apoptosis. Induction of apoptosis in LAA-treated AML cells involved a dose-dependent increase of Bax protein, release of cytochrome C from mitochondria to cytosol, activation of caspase 9 and caspase 3, and cleavage of poly[ADP-ribose]polymerase. In conclusion, LAA can induce apoptosis in AML cells, and this is clearly due to H(2)O(2) which accumulates intracellularly as a result of oxidation of reduced glutathione by LAA.
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PMID:L-Ascorbic acid induces apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia cells via hydrogen peroxide-mediated mechanisms. 1531 65

Human epithelial ovarian cancer is the most lethal female cancer. Hormones and growth factors, including the TGF-beta superfamily, have been suggested to play a role in ovarian tumorigenesis. The biological effects of TGF-beta superfamily are mediated by type I and type II serine/threonine kinase receptors and by intracellular Smad proteins. Recently, we have cloned four transcripts of human activin receptor-like kinase 7 (ALK7), a type I receptor for Nodal. In this study, we have investigated the role of Nodal and ALK7 in four ovarian cancer cell lines, OV2008, C13*, A2780-s, and A2780-cp. Overexpression of Nodal resulted in a significant decrease in the number of metabolically active cells. This effect was mimicked by a constitutively active ALK7 (ALK7-ca) but blocked by dominant negative mutants of ALK7, Smad2, or Smad3. Transient transfection of Nodal and ALK7-ca significantly decreased X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (Xiap) expression, activated both caspase-3 and caspase-9, and increased apoptosis as determined by Hoechst nuclear staining and flow cytometry. In addition, Nodal and ALK7-ca also inhibited cell proliferation as measured by 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) assays. Interestingly, the effects of Nodal and ALK7-ca were more potent in chemosensitive A2780-s cells than in its chemoresistant counterpart, A2780-cp cells. These findings demonstrate that Nodal induces apoptosis and inhibits proliferation via ALK7 and Smad2/3 and that the effect of Nodal-ALK7 on apoptosis may be mediated in part by the down-regulation of Xiap and activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3.
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PMID:Nodal induces apoptosis and inhibits proliferation in human epithelial ovarian cancer cells via activin receptor-like kinase 7. 1553 7

Although progesterone (P4) has been implicated to offer protection against ovarian cancer (OCa), little is known of its mechanism of action. The goal of this study was to identify P4-regulated genes that have anti-OCa action. Three immortalized nontumorigenic human ovarian surface epithelial (HOSE) cell lines and three OCa (OVCA) cell lines were subjected to 5 days of P4 treatment. Transcriptional profiling with a cDNA microarray containing approximately 2400 known genes was used to identify genes (1) whose expression was consistently downregulated in OVCA cell lines compared to HOSE cell lines, and (2) whose expression was restored in OCa cell lines by P4 treatment. From the candidates selected, activating transcription factor-3 (ATF-3), caveolin-1, deleted in liver cancer-1 (DLC-1), and nonmetastatic clone 23 (NM23-H2) were chosen for post hoc functional studies based on their previously reported action as tumor suppressors or apoptosis inducers. Semiquantitative RT-PCR analyses confirmed loss of or reduced transcription of these genes in OVCA cells when compared to HOSE cells and their upregulation following P4 treatment. Hormonal specificity was demonstrated by blockade experiments with a progestin antagonist RU 38486. Ectopic expression of caveolin-1, DLC-1, and NM23-H2 caused growth inhibition in OVCA cell cultures, but not in HOSE cell cultures, while forced expression of ATF-3 suppressed growth in both. Overexpression of AFT-3 also enhanced caspase-3 activity in both HOSE and OVCA cells, whereas ectopic expression of caveolin-1 and DLC-1 only activated this enzyme in OCa cells. In contrast, NM23-H2 overexpression was ineffective in activating caspase-3. Overexpression of any of the four genes in OCa cells reduced soft-agar colony formation and cell invasiveness. Taken together, we have identified four new P4-regulated, antitumor genes for OCa. However, their modes of action differ significantly; ATF-3 primarily functions as an apoptosis inducer, NM23-H2 as a suppressor of cell motility, and caveolin-1 and DLC-1 exhibiting features of classical tumor suppressors. To the best of our knowledge, except for NM23-H2, this is the first report linking P4 to the regulation of these tumor suppressor/proapoptotic genes, which could serve as future therapeutic targets.
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PMID:Identification of ATF-3, caveolin-1, DLC-1, and NM23-H2 as putative antitumorigenic, progesterone-regulated genes for ovarian cancer cells by gene profiling. 1567 52

Current treatment options for ovarian cancer, which is one of the most widespread gynecological malignancies, are limited, mainly because patients with advanced-stage disease often develop resistance to chemotherapeutics. In breast cancer cells, several studies suggest that overexpression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) leads to increased resistance against certain, but not all cytotoxic drugs. In ovarian carcinoma, conflicting data on the correlation of HER-2 expression and tumor cell sensitivity exist. In this paper, we explore the role of HER-2 expression and signaling levels pertaining to paclitaxel (Taxol) chemoresistance by applying three different and independent strategies in SKOV-3 ovarian carcinoma cells. Firstly, we show that treatment with the HER-2 inhibitory antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin), which is well established in tumor therapy, results in markedly increased, rather than decreased, cellular paclitaxel resistance. Next, we present two newly developed low molecular weight inhibitors of HER-2 tyrosine kinase activity, D-69491 and D-70166. With both drugs, the decrease in cellular paclitaxel sensitivity upon HER-2 inhibition is confirmed. Finally, for more detailed analysis we stably downregulate HER-2 expression by ribozyme-targeting. Using clonal ribozyme-transfected SKOV-3 cells with different residual HER-2 levels, we establish a 'HER-2 gene dose effect' of paclitaxel cytotoxicity. We show that this effect is due to differential induction of apoptosis and differential cell cycle inhibition by paclitaxel. Finally, paclitaxel- or HER-2-mediated alterations in the phosphorylation of MAP kinases p42/44, Stress-activated protein kinase/Jun-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK), and p38, and effects on the activation of caspase-3, caspase-7, and bcl-2 are discussed. We conclude that paclitaxel cytotoxicity in SKOV-3 cells is 'HER-2 dose-dependent' and identify cell proliferation as one underlying cellular event of this effect.
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PMID:Inhibition of HER-2 by three independent targeting strategies increases paclitaxel resistance of SKOV-3 ovarian carcinoma cells. 1570 Jan 18

BAG-1 is a multi-functional protein that exists in three major isoforms, BAG-1 p50, p46, and p36. A fourth isoform of 29 kDa also exists but its function remains mostly unknown. To further understand the role of this smaller isoform in ovarian cancer cells, the SKOV3 cell line was transfected with a doxycycline-inducible human BAG-1 p29 isoform or control plasmid. Ovexpression of BAG-1 p29 promotes protection from apoptosis in the presence of EGF as shown by decreased cell death measured by XTT assay and caspase-3 activity. Unexpectedly, however, BAG-1 p29 does not associate with the EGF receptor. When BAG-1 p29 transfectants were incubated in hydrogel-coated plates, BAG-1 p29-expressing SKOV3 cells were significantly more resistant to anoikis as compared to controls, and this correlated with decreased activation of caspase-3. The results of this study implicate BAG-1 p29 in the regulation of both the EGF signaling cascade and the apoptotic cascade induced by loss of anchorage.
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PMID:BAG-1 p29 protein prevents drug-induced cell death in the presence of EGF and enhances resistance to anoikis in SKOV3 human ovarian cancer cells. 1570 60

Src tyrosine kinase has been found to be overexpressed and activated in a high proportion of ovarian cancers and ovarian cancer cell lines. Furthermore, Src activation is associated with activation of growth and survival signaling pathways. The present study was conducted in order to determine the effects of Src inhibition on ovarian cancer cell survival in response to chemotherapeutic agents. Inhibition of Src, either pharmacologically or through expression of a Src dominant-negative fusion construct, enhanced the cytotoxicity of two different classes of chemotherapeutics: paclitaxel and cisplatinum, in both mouse and human ovarian cancer cells. Interestingly, Src inhibition also restored sensitivity to drug-resistant ovarian cancer cells. The increased cytotoxicity in response to Src inhibition was associated with a large increase in processing and activation of caspase-3. The activation of caspase-3 seems to be independent of cytochrome c release and caspase-9 activation. The present study indicates that Src tyrosine kinase may provide an important target for small molecule inhibition in ovarian cancer.
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PMID:Src inhibition enhances paclitaxel cytotoxicity in ovarian cancer cells by caspase-9-independent activation of caspase-3. 1571 93

ZAC is a paternally expressed, imprinted gene located on chromosome 6q24, within a region known to harbor a tumor suppressor gene for several types of neoplasia, including human ovarian cancer (HOC). We have failed to identify genetic mutations in the ZAC gene in tumor material. Many imprinted genes contain differentially allele-specific-methylated regions (DMR) and harbor promoter activity that is regulated by the DNA methylation. Aberrant DNA methylation is a common feature of neoplasia and changes in DNA methylation at the ZAC locus have been reported in some cases of HOC. We investigated the DNA methylation and ZAC mRNA expression levels in a larger sample of primary HOC material, obtained by laser capture microdissection. ZAC mRNA expression was reduced in the majority of samples and this correlated with hypermethylation of the ZAC-DMR. Treatment of hypermethylated cells lines with a demethylating agent restored ZAC expression. Our studies indicate that transcriptional silencing of ZAC is likely to be caused by DNA methylation in HOC. Forced expression of ZAC resulted in a reduction in proliferation and marked induction of apoptotic cell death. The ZAC-mediated apoptosis signal is p53-independent and eliminated by inhibitors of caspase 3, 8 and 9. Reduced expression of ZAC would therefore favor tumor progression. As there were no significant differences in either DNA methylation or expression of ZAC mRNA between localized and advanced tumors, our data indicates that loss of ZAC is a relatively early event in HOC. (Supplementary material for this article can be found on the International Journal of Cancer website at http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0020-7136/suppmat/index.html.)
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PMID:Epigenetic silencing of the imprinted gene ZAC by DNA methylation is an early event in the progression of human ovarian cancer. 1575 Oct 35

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has been shown to induce apoptosis of cancer cells. Sensitization of cancer cells to TRAIL, particularly TRAIL-resistant cancer cells, could improve the effectiveness of TRAIL as an anticancer agent. The adenovirus type 5 E1A that associates with anticancer activities including sensitization to apoptosis induced by tumor necrosis factor is currently being tested in clinical trials. In this study, we investigated the sensitivity to TRAIL in the E1A transfectants ip1-E1A2 and 231-E1A cells and the parental TRAIL-resistant human ovarian cancer SKOV3.ip1 and TRAIL-sensitive human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. The results indicated that the percentage of TRAIL-induced apoptotic cells was significantly higher in the E1A transfectants of both cell lines than it was in the parental cell lines. To further investigate the cellular mechanism of this effect, we found that E1A enhances TRAIL-induced activation of caspase-8, caspase-9, and caspase-3. Inhibition of caspase-3 activity by a specific inhibitor, Z-DEVD-fmk, abolished TRAIL-induced apoptosis. In addition, E1A enhanced TRAIL expression in ip1-E1A2 cells, but not in 231-E1A cells, and the anti-TRAIL neutralizing antibody N2B2 blocked the E1A-mediated bystander effect in vitro. Taken together, these results suggest that E1A sensitizes both TRAIL-sensitive and TRAIL-resistant cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis, which occurs through the enhancement of caspase activation; activation of caspase-3 is required for TRAIL-induced apoptosis; and E1A-induced TRAIL expression is involved in the E1A-mediated bystander effect. Combination of E1A and TRAIL could be an effective treatment for cancer.
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PMID:E1A sensitizes cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis through enhancement of caspase activation. 1583 75


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