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)

Taxol, 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C), and etoposide induce apoptosis in HL-60 cells that is blocked by overexpression of Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL.A 60-amino acid "loop" domain of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL that contains phosphorylation sites is known to negatively regulate their antiapoptotic function. In the present studies, Taxol-, ara-C-, or etoposide-induced apoptosis was examined in HL-60/Bcl-2delta and HL-60/Bcl-xLdelta cells that express the loop-deletional mutant cDNA constructs p19Bcl-2delta32-80 and p18Bcl-xLdelta26-83, respectively. This was compared with control HL-60/neo cells as well as HL-60/Bcl-2 and HL-60/Bcl-xL cells. The latter two cell lines overexpress full-length Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, respectively. Immunoblot analyses showed that HL-60/neo and HL-60/Bcl-2delta cells express similar levels of p26Bcl-2. In contrast, as compared with HL-60/neo, HL-60/Bcl-xLdelta cells expressed significantly lower levels of p26Bcl-2. p29Bcl-xL and p21Bax levels were similar in all cell types. Exposure to etoposide (50 microM) or ara-C (100 microM) for 4 h induced apoptosis in HL-60/neo cells, but not in HL-60/Bcl-2, HL-60/Bcl-xL, HL-60/Bcl-2delta, or HL-60/Bcl-xLdelta cells. In contrast, Taxol treatment (500 nM for 24 h) triggered the molecular cascade of apoptosis, represented by the cytosolic increase of cytochrome c and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase or the DNA fragmentation factor cleavage activity of caspase-3 in HL-60/neo cells as well as in HL-60/Bcl-xLdelta and HL-60/Bcl-2delta cells, but not in their counterparts overexpressing full-length Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Equal amounts of p26Bcl-2 were coimmunoprecipitated with apoptosis protease-activating factor 1 (APAF-1) in HL-60/neo and HL-60/Bcl-2delta cells, whereas a markedly higher level of p26Bcl-2 coimmunoprecipitated with APAF-1 in HL-60/Bcl-2 cells. In association with Taxol-induced apoptosis, the levels of Bcl-2 that were coimmunoprecipitated with APAF-1 declined in HL-60/neo and HL-60/Bcl-2delta cells. This was not observed in HL-60/Bcl-2 cells, in which Taxol-induced apoptosis was blocked. Previous studies have demonstrated that Taxol induces phosphorylation of Bcl-2 in association with Taxol-induced apoptosis of HL-60/neo cells. Immunoblot analysis demonstrated a Taxol-induced mobility shift of Bcl-2 but not p19Bcl-2delta. Taxol also increased [32P]Pi incorporation in p26Bcl-2, but not in p19Bcl-2delta or p18Bcl-xL. These findings indicate that the loop domain is necessary for the Taxol-induced mobility shift and phosphorylation of Bcl-2. Loop domain also seems to be necessary for the antiapoptotic effect of Bcl-2 against Taxol-induced apoptosis but not ara-C- or etoposide-induced apoptosis.
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PMID:"Loop" domain is necessary for taxol-induced mobility shift and phosphorylation of Bcl-2 as well as for inhibiting taxol-induced cytosolic accumulation of cytochrome c and apoptosis. 969 42

Taxol and Taxotere propagate apoptosis in Jurkat T cells via molecular signals that coincide with the appearance of two distinct cell populations. Cell cycle arrest in G2-M phase and activation of cell cycle-dependent kinases begin within 2 h and extend to most cells by 16 h. Phosphorylation of Bcl-2 also begins within 2 h and intensifies from 2-16 h. Cell cycle arrest, activation of mitotic kinases, and phosphorylation of Bcl-2 coincided with the appearance of a population of metastable cells that accumulate YO-PRO-1 dye, are resistant to the caspase inhibitor carbobenzoxy-L-aspartyl-alpha-[(2,6-dichlorobenzoyl)oxy]methane, and have intact genomic DNA. Phosphorylation and deactivation of kinases that relay survival/mitogenesis signals in T cells begin after 8 h and are prominent by 12-16 h. Deactivated kinases include c-Raf-1, p44 extracellular receptor kinase, and the tyrosine kinases c-Lck and ZAP-70. Activation of Mr 40,000 and Mr 52,000 kinases is also prominent by 12-16 h. The modulation of all these kinases coincided with the activation of caspase-3 at 12 h and the appearance of a population of apoptotic cells that accumulate YO-PRO-1, are susceptible to the caspase inhibitor carbobenzoxy-L-aspartyl-alpha-[(2,6-dichloro-benzoyl)oxy]methane, and contain fragmented genomic DNA. This distinctive apoptosis signaling pathway may help account for the superior cytotoxic efficacy of taxanes in certain types of cancer.
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PMID:Taxanes propagate apoptosis via two cell populations with distinctive cytological and molecular traits. 971 85

The antimicrotubule anticancer drug, Taxol, suppresses microtubule dynamics, causes mitotic arrest, and induces caspase-3 cleavage and activity resulting in apoptosis of human AML HL-60 cells. Caspase-3 cleavage is triggered by the mitochondrial release and cytosolic accumulation of the electron transfer protein, cytochrome c (cyt c). Taxol-induced G2/M transition is mediated by p34(cdc-2) (CDK1) which, if prematurely activated, may also trigger apoptosis. In the present studies following S-phase synchronization and release, HL-60 cells with enforced expression of the bcl-xL (HL-60/Bcl-xL) and/or neomycin resistance gene (HL-60/neo) were exposed to Taxol to examine CDK1-related cell-cycle events and the cyt c-triggered molecular cascade of apoptosis. At various time-intervals after Taxol treatment, immunoblot analyses of cyclin B1 and CDK1 levels were performed. In addition, the in vitro histone H1 kinase activity of immunoprecipitated CDK1 and its tyrosine phosphorylation status (by anti-phosphotyrosine immunoblot analysis) were determined. Data presented here show that, while Taxol-induced peak CDK1 kinase activity occurs earlier in HL-60/neo cells, there are no significant differences in cyclin B1 accumulation, tyrosine dephosphorylation of CDK1, and mitotic arrest of Taxol-treated HL-60/neo vs HL-60/Bcl-xL cells. Taxol-induced CDK1 activation and mitosis preceded the cytosolic accumulation (approximately six-fold) of cyt c. The latter event was blocked by Bcl-xL overexpression but not by inhibitors of caspase-3. Although the caspase inhibitors and high Bcl-xL levels inhibited caspase-3 cleavage and activity, they did not significantly affect Taxol-induced CDK1 activation or mitotic arrest. These findings indicate that Bcl-xL overexpression does not affect Taxol-induced CDK1 activity leading to G2/M transition, which temporally precedes the cytosolic cyt c-mediated cleavage and activity of caspase-3 and apoptosis.
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PMID:Temporal relationship of CDK1 activation and mitotic arrest to cytosolic accumulation of cytochrome C and caspase-3 activity during Taxol-induced apoptosis of human AML HL-60 cells. 984 22

Microtubule inhibitors are widely used in cancer chemotherapy, but the signaling mechanisms that link microtubule disarray to destructive or protective cellular responses are poorly understood. Because members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family have been implicated in regulation of cell survival and cell death, we examined the extent and kinetics of activation of JNK, ERK, and p38 MAPKs in response to treatment of KB-3 carcinoma cells with several microtubule inhibitors. All four agents tested (vinblastine, vincristine, Taxol, and colchicine) caused significant (6- to 13-fold) activation of JNK, concomitant inactivation of ERK, and a reduction in basal p38 MAPK activity. JNK activation and ERK inactivation occurred prior to caspase 3 activation. The microtubule inhibitors also induced phosphorylation of Raf-1 kinase. SEK-1, upstream of JNK, was also activated and phosphorylated in response to the microtubule inhibitors, and sustained phosphorylation of three endogenous JNK substrates (c-Jun, ATF-2, and JunD) was observed. By comparison, the antitumor agent doxorubicin induced activation of JNK and p38 but had no effect on ERK activity or Raf-1. These data demonstrate that microtubule inhibitors elicit distinct and specific effects on MAPK-mediated signaling pathways and suggest in particular that coordinate and reciprocal alterations in JNK and ERK activities are important facets of the cellular response to microtubule disruption.
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PMID:Microtubule inhibitors elicit differential effects on MAP kinase (JNK, ERK, and p38) signaling pathways in human KB-3 carcinoma cells. 1062 71

HER-2/neu-overexpressing breast cancer cells are more resistant to the chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel (Taxol) than low-HER-2/neu-expressing breast cancer cells, and the adenoviral type 5 EIA can down-regulate HER-2/neu overexpression. Therefore, in this study, we asked (a) whether EIA might sensitize response to paclitaxel in human HER-2/neu-overexpressing ovarian cancer cells, and, if so, what is the mechanism responsible; and (b) whether this enhanced chemosensitivity would translate into a therapeutic effect in an ovarian cancer xenograft model. Consequently, we demonstrated that: (a) adenovirus type 5 E1A could enhance the sensitivity of paclitaxel in paclitaxel-resistant HER-2/neu-overexpressing human ovarian cancer cells in vitro by inducing apoptosis, (b) this induction was heavily dependent on activation of the caspase-3 pathway, and (c) nude mice bearing i.p. HER-2/neu-overexpressing human ovarian cancer cells and treated with both paclitaxel and E1A gene therapy survived significantly longer than did mice treated only with paclitaxel or E1A gene therapy. Thus, we concluded that the E1A gene enhanced both the in vitro and in vivo sensitivity of paclitaxel in paclitaxel-resistant HER-2/ neu-overexpressing ovarian cancer SKOV3.ipl cells. Because a Phase I clinical trial using E1A gene targeted to HER-2/neu down-regulation has recently been completed, the current study also provided a scientific basis to further develop a novel therapy that combines paclitaxel and E1A gene therapy and its testing in a Phase II trial.
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PMID:E1A-mediated paclitaxel sensitization in HER-2/neu-overexpressing ovarian cancer SKOV3.ip1 through apoptosis involving the caspase-3 pathway. 1065 56

Fibrillar amyloid beta (Abeta) peptides are major constituents of senile plaques in Alzheimer disease (AD) brain and cause neuronal apoptosis in vitro. Bax and caspase-3 have been implicated in the pathogenesis of AD and are components of a well-defined molecular pathway of neuronal apoptosis. To determine whether Abeta-induced neuronal apoptosis involves bax and/or caspase-3 activation, we examined the effect of Abeta on wild-type, bax-deficient, and caspase-3-deficient telencephalic neurons in vitro. In wild-type cultures, Abeta produced time- and concentration-dependent caspase-3 activation, apoptotic nuclear changes, and neuronal death. These neurotoxic effects of Abeta were not observed in bax-deficient cultures. Caspase-3 deficiency, or pharmacological inhibition of caspase activity, prevented caspase-3 activation and blocked the appearance of apoptotic nuclear features but not Abeta-induced neuronal death. Neither calpain inhibition nor microtubule stabilization with Taxol protected telencephalic neurons from Abeta-induced caspase activation or apoptosis. These results have potential implications regarding the underlying pathophysiology of AD and towards AD treatment strategies.
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PMID:Amyloid beta-induced neuronal death is bax-dependent but caspase-independent. 1075 82

To define the responses of apoptotic regulatory proteins to different chemotherapeutic agents, we investigated the expression of Bcl-2 family gene products, the release of cytochrome c, and the activation of pro-caspase-3 during apoptosis induced by Taxol and Thiotepa, in the MCF-7 breast carcinoma and the HL-60 leukemia cell lines. The earliest event induced by drug exposure was increase in Bad protein levels, followed by Bcl-2 down-regulation, cytochrome c release, and Bcl-xL and Bax up-regulation. Bak accumulation was a late event. Activation of pro-caspase-3 and cleavage of Bcl-2 protein occurred in the HL-60 cells only, and followed the cytochrome c release. The overall responses were qualitatively similar in both cell types, but MCF-7 cells treated with Taxol showed a significant delay in apoptosis, correlating with early up-regulation of Bcl-2 and delayed release of cytochrome c. We conclude that Bad up-regulation is an early indicator of a cellular response that will lead to cell death, but may be modulated by survival mechanisms, which cumulatively govern the ultimate susceptibility to apoptosis.
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PMID:Susceptibility to drug-induced apoptosis correlates with differential modulation of Bad, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL protein levels. 1082 81

In actinomycin D (AD)-induced apoptosis, caspase-3 activation and DNA cleavage in human megakaryoblastic leukemia CMK-7 cells were greatly accelerated by tubulin and actin polymerization inhibitors [e.g., colcemid (CL) and cytochalasin D (CD), respectively], but the acceleration was not found with Taxol or phalloidin. A decrease in mitochondrial transmembrane potential, release of cytochrome c into the cytosol, and cleavage of procaspase-9 to its active form preceded the activation of caspase-3 and, moreover, all of these events began earlier and/or proceeded faster in cells treated with AD plus CL or CD than in cells treated with AD only. These results suggest that cytoskeletal disruption in the apoptotic cells promotes damage of the mitochondrial membrane, resulting in the enhanced release of cytochrome c necessary for the activation of caspase-9 that initiates the caspase cascade. On the other hand, apoptotic bodies were rapidly formed from cells treated with AD and CL, but were suppressed when treated with AD and CD. Intracellular membranes and the actin system were reorganized to surround the nuclear fragments in the AD- and CL-treated cells, but such a membrane system was not formed in the presence of CD, implying that the apoptotic bodies are formed via reorganization of intracellular membranes under regulation by actin polymerization. Thus, the cytoskeletal change in CMK-7 cells has a strong effect on the early biochemical process as well as on the later morphologic process in AD-induced apoptosis.
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PMID:Cytoskeletal disruption accelerates caspase-3 activation and alters the intracellular membrane reorganization in DNA damage-induced apoptosis. 1094 79

The activation of caspase-8, a crucial upstream mediator of death receptor signaling, was investigated in epirubicin- and Taxol-induced apoptosis of B-lymphoma cells. This study was performed because the CD95/Fas receptor-ligand interaction, recruitment of the Fas-associated death domain (FADD) adaptor protein, and subsequent activation of procaspase-8 have been implicated in the execution of drug-induced apoptosis in other cell types. Indeed, active caspase-8 was readily detected after treatment of mature and immature B-lymphoid cells with epirubicin or Taxol. However, neither constitutive nor drug-induced expression of the CD95/Fas ligand was detectable in B-lymphoma cells. Furthermore, overexpression of a dominant-negative FADD mutant (FADDdn) did not block caspase-8 processing and subsequent DNA fragmentation, indicating that drug-induced caspase-8 activation was mediated by a CD95/Fas-independent mechanism. Instead, caspase-8 cleavage was slightly preceded by activation of caspase-3, suggesting that drug-induced caspase-8 activation in B-lymphoma cells is a downstream event mediated by other caspases. This assumption was confirmed in 2 experimental systems-zDEVD-fmk, a cell-permeable inhibitor of caspase-3-like activity, blocked drug-induced caspase-8 cleavage, and depletion of caspase-3 from cell extracts impaired caspase-8 cleavage after in vitro activation with dATP and cytochrome c. Thus, these data indicate that drug-induced caspase-8 activation in B-lymphoma cells is independent of death receptor signaling and is mediated by postmitochondrial caspase-3 activation.
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PMID:Activation of caspase-8 in drug-induced apoptosis of B-lymphoid cells is independent of CD95/Fas receptor-ligand interaction and occurs downstream of caspase-3. 1122 83

The CD95 (FAS, Apo-1) system is a major death pathway in normal and tumor cells. Recent evidence indicates that pancreatic cancer cells express CD95R and CD95L but are insensitive to CD95-mediated apoptosis. Here we show that treatment of human pancreatic cancer cells with RNA synthesis inhibitor actinomycin D (ActD) converted the phenotype of cancer cells from CD95 resistant to CD95 sensitive. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that all pancreatic cancer cell lines studied responded with cell surface CD95R and CD95L upregulation to bleomycin treatment, and PANC1 (mt p53) cells demonstrated a dose-dependent response to interferon gamma and bleomycin treatment with CD95R and CD95L up-regulation. However, only bleomycin sensitized PANC1 cells to CD95-mediated apoptosis. Taxol sensitized PANC1 and HPAC cells to CD95-mediated apoptosis without surface up-regulation of CD95R. These data suggest that pancreatic cancer cells possess a p53-independent mechanism of CD95R and CD95L surface upregulation and that surface expression of CD95R is not predictive of apoptotic function. Protein extracts of HPAC and PANC1 cells treated for 24 hours with a combination of ActD/agonist anti-CD95 antibodies demonstrated significantly higher Acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-ase (DEVDase) cleavage activity (caspase 3-like activity) than extracts from cells treated with ActD only. In the present study, we also investigated the time kinetics of DEVDase (caspase 3-like) activation in PANC1 (mt p53) and HPAC (wt p53) pancreatic cancer cell lines. We found that DEVDase activity in PANC1 cells responds to ActD and ActD/anti-CD95 antibodies earlier than in HPAC cells; however, at 24 hours HPAC cells demonstrated much stronger activation. Cytosolic protein extracts from untreated cells did not influence caspase 3-like activity when added to extracts from the ActD/anti-CD95 antibody-treated cells. Collectively, these data suggest that pancreatic cancer cells have functional CD95-related apoptotic machinery with preserved apoptotic signal transduction, CD95R upregulation. and caspase activation. However, this system is blocked by some unknown protein(s) that is either located in the organelle fraction of the cell and/or requires an intact cell for manifestation of its activity.
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PMID:CD95-related apoptotic machinery is functional in pancreatic cancer cells. 1134 35


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