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)

Externalization of PtdSer (phosphatidylserine) is an important event in signalling removal of apoptotic cells. In contrast with previous work [Yu, Byers, Ridgway, McMaster and Cook (2000) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1487, 296-308] with U937 cells showing that specific stimulation of PtdSer biosynthesis during apoptosis was caspase dependent, PtdSer biosynthesis in CHO (Chinese-hamster ovary)-K1 increased 2.5-fold during UV-induced apoptosis but was not reversed by a caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-FMK (benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-DL-Asp-fluoromethylketone). Also, in CHO-K1 cells, stimulation of synthesis was less specific for PtdSer as similar levels of stimulation were observed for sphingomyelin biosynthesis. Involvement of PtdSer synthase isoforms was tested in CHO-K1 cells overexpressing PSS I (PtdSer synthase I) and PSS II. Both types of transformed cells showed resistance to UV-induced apoptosis based on the decreased levels of caspase 3 activation and morphology changes; externalization of PtdSer was reduced with UV treatment even though expression of endogenous scramblase increased slightly. Serine-labelling experiments showed that PSS I- or PSS II-expressing cells had higher basal levels of PtdSer biosynthesis compared with vector control cells. When cells were exposed to UV light to induce apoptosis, PtdSer biosynthesis was further stimulated 1.5- and 2-fold in PSS I- and PSS II-expressing cells respectively compared with UV-treated vector cells. Caspase activation was not required, as Z-VAD-FMK did not change PtdSer synthesis. Although enhanced PtdSer synthesis was supposed to facilitate apoptosis, cells overexpressing PSS I and II were actually resistant to UV-induced apoptosis. Whereas enhanced PtdSer synthesis was associated with apoptosis, potential anti-apoptotic effects were observed when excess activity of these synthetic enzymes was present. This suggests a tightly regulated role for PtdSer synthesis and/or an important dependence on compartmentation of PSS enzymes in association with scramblase facilitated enrichment of this phospholipid at the cell surface.
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PMID:Resistance to UV-induced apoptosis in Chinese-hamster ovary cells overexpressing phosphatidylserine synthases. 1509 92

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, plays an important role in many physiological and diseased conditions. Induction of apoptosis in cancer cells has been monitored during the cells' progression to apoptosis by anti-cancer drugs and inhibitors of the cell surface glycolipids, gangliosides and SA-Le(x) biosyntheses [Basu, S (1991) Glycobiology, 1, 469-475; and ibid, 427-435] in animal tissues and human carcinoma cells, respectively. Induction of apoptosis in cancer cells by cell surface glycolipids in the human breast cancer (SKBR3) cells is the aim in this study. We have employed the disialosyl gangliosides (GD3 and GD1b) to initiate apoptosis in SKBR3 cells grown in culture in the presence of (14)C-L-Serine. At lower concentrations (0-20 microM) of exogenously added non-radioactive GD3, GD1b, or bovine ganglioside mixture (GM1:GD1a:GD1b:GT1a 2:4:4:2), the incorporation of radioactivity in both (14)C-sphingolipid and (14)C-ceramide was higher. However, at higher concentrations (20-100 microM), wherein apoptosis occurred in high frequency, the (14)C-incorporation decreased in both GSLs and ceramide. Apoptosis induction was monitored by the concomitant appearance of caspase-3 activation and the binding of a fluorescent dye PSS-380 to the outer leaflet of phosphatidyl-serine. These results indicated that, in addition to many unknown cell surface glycoconjugates GD3 or GD1b (disialosyl ganglioside) could play an important role in the regulation of breast carcinoma cell death.
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PMID:Apoptosis of human breast carcinoma cells in the presence of disialosyl gangliosides: II. Treatment of SKBR3 cells with GD3 and GD1b gangliosides. 1522 96

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer, predominantly among women over 20, whereas colo-rectal cancer occurs in both men and women over the age of 50. Chemotherapy of both cancers affect rapidly growing normal as well as cancer cells. Cancer cells are non-apoptotic. Seven anti-cancer agents (cis -platin, Tamoxifen, Melphalan, Betulinic acid, D-PDMP, L-PPMP, and GD3) have been tested with human breast (SKBR3) and colon (Colo-205) carcinoma cells for their apoptotic effect and found to be positive by several assay systems. Colo-205 cells were obtained from ATCC, and the SKBR3 cells were a gift from the Cleveland Clinic. All of these six agents killed those two cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. In the early apoptotic stage (6 h), these cells showed only a flopping of phosphatidylserine on the outer lamella of the plasma membranes as evidenced by the binding of a novel fluorescent dye PSS-380. After 24 h of the treatment, those apoptotic cells showed damage of the plasma as well as the nuclear membrane as evidenced by binding of propidium iodide to the nuclear DNA. DNA laddering assay viewed further breakdown of DNA by 1% agarose gel electrophoresis analysis. It is concluded that during apoptosis the signaling by Mitochondrial Signaling Pathway (MSP) is stimulated by some of these agents. Caspase 3 was activated with the concomitant appearance of its p17 polypeptide as viewed by Westernblot analyses. Incorporation of radioactivity from [U-(14)C]-L-serine in total sphingolipid mixture was observed between 2 and 4 micromolar concentrations of most of the agents except ci s-platin. However, apoptosis in carcinoma cells in the presence of cis -platin is induced by a caspase 3 activation pathway without any increase in synthesis of ceramide.
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PMID:Apoptosis of human carcinoma cells in the presence of potential anti-cancer drugs: III. Treatment of Colo-205 and SKBR3 cells with: cis -platin, Tamoxifen, Melphalan, Betulinic acid, L-PDMP, L-PPMP, and GD3 ganglioside. 1545 95

Therapeutic approaches that exploit nanoparticles to deliver drugs selectively to cancer cells are currently considered one of the most promising avenues in the area of cancer therapeutics. Recently, gold nanorods (AuNRs) have shown promising biological applications due to their unique electronic and optical properties. In this paper, we have demonstrated the anti-cancer potential of gold nanorods with low power laser light. Gold nanorods (AuNRs), surface modified with poly (styrene sulfonate) PSS and functionalized with epidermal growth factor receptor antibody conjugated with gold nanorods (anti-EGFR-AuNRs) were successfully synthesised and characterized by UV-Visible-NIR spectrophotometry and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM). Inductively Coupled Plasmon Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) and Immunofluorescence studies confirmed the efficient uptake of these functionalized gold nanorods by human squamous carcinoma cells, A431. The in vitro photothermal therapy was conducted in four groups - control, laser alone, unconjugated AuNRs with laser and anti-EGFR conjugated AuNRs with laser. Phase contrast images have revealed cell morphology changes and cell death after the laser irradiation. In order to determine whether the cell death occur due to apoptosis or necrosis, we have evaluated the biochemical parameters such as lactate dehydrogenase release, reactive oxygen species level, mitochondrial membrane potential and caspase-3 activity. Flow cytometry analysis have shown the cell cycle changes after laser irradiation with antibody conjugated gold nanorods. Thus the results of our experiments confirmed that immunolabeled gold nanorods can selectively destruct the cancer cells and induce its apoptosis through ROS mediated mitochondrial pathway under low power laser exposure.
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PMID:Laser immunotherapy with gold nanorods causes selective killing of tumour cells. 2211 72