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)

Dysregulated apoptosis may underlie the etiology of T cell depletion by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). We show that HIV-induced apoptosis is preceded by an exponential increase in reactive oxygen intermediates (ROIs) produced in mitochondria. This leads to caspase-3 activation, phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization, and GSH depletion. Since mitochondrial ROI levels are regulated by the supply of NADPH from the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), the effect of transaldolase (TAL), a key enzyme of PPP, was investigated. Jurkat and H9 human CD4+ T cells were transfected with TAL expression vectors oriented in the sense or antisense direction. TAL overexpression down-regulated glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activities and GSH levels. Alternatively, decreased TAL expression up-regulated glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activities and GSH levels. HIV-induced 1) mitochondrial ROI production, 2) caspase-3 activation, 3) proteolysis of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and 4) PS externalization were accelerated in cells overexpressing TAL. In contrast, suppression of TAL abrogated these four activities. Thus, susceptibility to HIV-induced apoptosis can be regulated by TAL through controlling the balance between mitochondrial ROI production and the metabolic supply of reducing equivalents by the PPP. The dominant effect of TAL expression on oxidative stress, caspase activation, PS externalization, and cell death suggests that this balance plays a pivotal role in HIV-induced apoptosis.
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PMID:Molecular ordering in HIV-induced apoptosis. Oxidative stress, activation of caspases, and cell survival are regulated by transaldolase. 956 23

Amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) contributes to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), causing neuronal death through apoptosis. In this study, the neuroprotective role of small peptides, Gly-Pro-Glu (GPE), Gly-Glu (GE), Gly-Pro-Asp (GPD), and Gly-Pro-Arg (GPR) were examined against Abeta-induced toxicity in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. We report here that GPR (10-100 microM) prevented Abeta-mediated increase in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and Abeta inhibition of MTT reduction, even in neurons that were pre-exposed to Abeta for 24 or 48 h. Since GPR prevented Abeta inhibition of MTT reduction, the anti-apoptotic effect of GPR was studied by examining activation of caspase-3 and expression of p53 protein. Caspase-3 was significantly activated by 20 microM Abeta25-35 and 5 microM Abeta1-40, but GPR effectively prevented the Abeta-mediated activation of caspase-3. Similarly, Abeta increased numbers of p53-positive cells, but GPR prevented this Abeta effect. Our findings suggest that GPR can rescue cultured rat hippocampal neurons from Abeta-induced neuronal death by inhibiting caspase-3/p53-dependent apoptosis.
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PMID:A three amino acid peptide, Gly-Pro-Arg, protects and rescues cell death induced by amyloid beta-peptide. 1476 84

The ability of zinc to mobilize defense against reactive oxygen species (ROS) and H2O2-induced apoptosis was studied using a primary culture of rainbow trout gill cells. Gill cells were pretreated for 24 h with 100 microM ZnSO4 followed by 24-h exposure to 100 or 200 microM H2O2, or were subjected to 100 microM ZnSO4 together with 100 or 200 microM H2O2. Metallothionein-A (MTA) and metallothionein-B (MTB) mRNA levels were increased after treatment with zinc or H2O2, separately or in combination. Similarly, mRNA for glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) were increased in response to either zinc or H2O2, or after sequential treatments with zinc followed by H2O2. The stimulatory effects of zinc or H2O2 on MTA, MTB, GST, and G6PD mRNA levels could be blocked by addition of the membrane permeable zinc chelator, N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN), suggesting that H2O2-induced upregulation of these genes is zinc-dependent. Pretreatment with zinc protected the cells from subsequent cell damage and apoptosis, as assessed by lactate dehydrogenase leakage, mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity (MTT assay), caspase-3 activity, and DNA fragmentation. In contrast, when gill cells were coincubated with zinc and H2O2 at the same time, H2O2 toxicity was higher than after treatment with H2O2 alone. It is concluded that zinc had a direct pro-oxidant effect when administered together with H2O2, but that pretreatment of zinc inhibited cytotoxicity and apoptosis through an indirect antioxidant action. We propose that the antioxidant action is manifested through zinc-dependent expression of several genes encoding antioxidant proteins (e.g., MTA, MTB, G6PD, and GST). Furthermore, the apparent zinc-dependency of H2O2-induced expression of antioxidant genes suggests that zinc might act as a physiological signal to mediate the response to oxidative stress.
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PMID:ZINC-mediated gene expression offers protection against H2O2-induced cytotoxicity. 1592 8

Arsenic is a well established human carcinogen and is ubiquitous in the environment. The present study demonstrates the effect of acute arsenic administration at three different doses in liver and brain of Wistar rats. Sodium arsenite was administered orally at doses of 6.3 mg/kg, 10.5 mg/kg and 12.6 mg/kg of body weight on the basis of a lethal dose 50% (LD50) for 24 hr. After administration of arsenites, liver and brain were analyzed for various parameters of oxidative stress, histopathological changes and caspase-3 activity. Glutathione levels were decreased significantly in the liver at all doses. In liver the following biochemical changes were observed, a significant lipid peroxidation and cytochrome-P450 induction along with significant decrease in catalase and superoxide dismutase was observed at 10.5 mg/kg and 12.6 mg/kg. The activity of glutathione peroxidase was increased significantly at all doses. In brain, no significant change was observed at 6.3 mg/kg. However, a significant increase in lipid peroxidation and glutathione peroxidase activity along with significant decrease in the activity of glutathione, catalase and superoxide dismutase was observed at 10.5 mg/kg and 12.6 mg/kg. The activity of glutathione-S-transferase was decreased significantly in both liver and brain at 10.5 and 12.6 mg/kg. No significant alteration in the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and glutathione reductase was observed in either liver or brain at any dose. Dose-dependent histopathological changes, observed in both liver and brain are also described. A significant increase in caspase-3 activity was observed at all doses in liver and at 10.5 and 12.6 mg/kg in brain. Sodium arsenite caused DNA cleavage into fragments and manifested as "DNA laddering", a hallmark of apoptosis.
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PMID:Arsenic-induced cell death in liver and brain of experimental rats. 1643 89

Caffeic acid (CA) and Trolox are phenolic acids that have beneficial antioxidant effect, but the underlying mechanisms involved are not fully understood. The extent to which CA and Trolox protect against sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced oxidative cell injury was investigated in cultured rainbow trout gill cells. The cells exposed to SNP for 24 h displayed a dose-dependent leakage of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and decreased cell viability as indicated by the MTT assay (mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity). Both effects were prevented by treatment with 50 microM CA or Trolox. CA or Trolox, protected against SNP-induced caspase-3 activation and DNA fragmentation, indicating a reduction of apoptosis. Thus, the results indicate that SNP induced cell death is caspase-3 related apoptosis and the treatment with CA inhibited the apoptotic pathway. In addition, we studied the effect of CA and Trolox on expression of zinc-responsive antioxidant genes such as metallothioneins (MT), glutathione-S-transferase (GST Class pi) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) in cultured gill cells. CA, 100 microM, increased accumulation of mRNA for MTA, MTB, GST and G6PD in cells. Thus, in addition to its ability to sequester free radicals, CA may protect against oxidative stress through expression of zinc-induced antioxidant proteins. Because of these properties we suggest that CA could be a beneficial additive to fish feeds in aquaculture.
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PMID:Dietary phenolic antioxidants, caffeic acid and Trolox, protect rainbow trout gill cells from nitric oxide-induced apoptosis. 1711 65

The Ca(2+)-independent phospholipase A(2) VI (iPLA(2)-VI) and the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger isoform 1 (NHE1) are highly pH-sensitive proteins that exert both protective and detrimental effects in cardiac ischemia-reperfusion. Here, we investigated the role of extracellular pH (pH(o)) in ischemia-reperfusion injury and death and in regulation and function of iPLA(2)-VI and NHE1 under these conditions. HL-1 cardiomyocytes were exposed to simulated ischemia (SI; 0.5% O(2), 8 mM K(+), and 20 mM lactate) at pH(o) 6.0 and 7.4, with or without 4 or 8 h of reperfusion (SI/R). Cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activation were reduced after acidic compared with neutral SI, whereas necrotic death, estimated as glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase release, was similar in the two conditions. Inhibition of iPLA(2)-VI activity by bromoenol lactone (BEL) elicited cardiomyocyte necrosis during normoxia and after acidic, yet not after neutral, SI. The isoform-selective enantiomers R- and S-BEL both mimicked the effect of racemic BEL after acidic SI. In contrast, inhibition of NHE activity by EIPA had no significant effect on necrosis after SI. Both neutral and acidic SI were associated with a reversible loss of F-actin and cortactin integrity. Inhibition of iPLA(2)-VI disrupted F-actin, cortactin, and mitochondrial integrity, whereas inhibition of NHE slightly reduced stress fiber content. iPLA(2)-VIA and NHE1 mRNA levels were reduced during SI and upregulated in a pH(o)-dependent manner during SI/R. This also affected the subcellular localization of iPLA(2)-VIA. Thus, the mode of cell death and the roles and regulation of iPLA(2)-VI and NHE1 are at least in part determined by the pH(o) during SI. In addition to having clinically relevant implications, these findings can in part explain the contradictory results obtained from previous studies of iPLA(2)-VIA and NHE1 during cardiac I/R.
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PMID:HL-1 mouse cardiomyocyte injury and death after simulated ischemia and reperfusion: roles of pH, Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2, and Na+/H+ exchange. 1926 8

Arginine is a physiological substrate for nitric oxide synthase to generate nitric oxide (NO), which can influence tumor cell survival, while ascorbic acid is selectively toxic for cancer cells. This study explored the effect of an arginine/ascorbic acid combination on human cancer cell lines. The hepatoma cell line HA22T/VGH was the most sensitive of the tested cells to combination treatment. A combination of 5.74 mM of arginine and 0.57 mM of ascorbic acid induced HA22T/VGH cell death through apoptosis and an increase in levels of reactive oxygen species and NO, as well as its stable products NO(2)(-) and NO(3)(-). The combination also reduced the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, and transaldolase in the pentose phosphate pathway, a major mechanism for producing NADPH, resulting in a marked decrease in intracellular NADPH levels. A dramatic decrease in intracellular glutathione (GSH) levels, a decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP depletion and release of cytochrome c were also seen. Caspase-9 and caspase-3 were activated, apoptotic protein Bax expression increased and the expression of the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL decreased. These results suggest that this combination induced HA22T/VGH cell death by interfering with redox state regulation by a reduction in pentose phosphate pathway activity and increasing oxidative and nitrosative stress.
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PMID:Combined arginine and ascorbic acid treatment induces apoptosis in the hepatoma cell line HA22T/VGH and changes in redox status involving the pentose phosphate pathway and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. 2055 52

The close contact and interaction between the oocyte and the follicular environment influence the establishment of oocyte developmental competence. Moreover, it is assumed that apoptosis in the follicular cells has a beneficial influence on the developmental competence of oocytes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether bovine oocytes with varied developmental competence show differences in the degree of apoptosis and gene expression pattern in their surrounding follicular cells (cumulus and granulosa cells). Oocytes and follicular cells from follicles of 3 to 5 mm in diameter were grouped as brilliant cresyl blue (BCB)+ and BCB- based on glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) activity in the ooplasm by BCB staining. In the follicular cells initial, early and late apoptotic events were assessed by analyzing caspase-3 activity, annexin-V and TUNEL, respectively. Global gene expression was investigated in immature oocytes and corresponding follicular cells. BCB+ oocytes resulted in a higher blastocyst rate (19.3%) compared to the BCB- group (7.4%, P < 0.05). Moreover, the analysis of apoptosis showed a higher caspase-3 activity in the follicular cells and an increased degree of late apoptotic events in granulosa cells in the BCB+ compared with the BCB- group. Additionally, the global gene expression profile revealed a total of 34 and 37 differentially expressed genes between BCB+ and BCB- cumulus cells and granulosa cells, respectively, whereas 207 genes showed an altered transcript abundance between BCB+ and BCB- oocytes. Among these, EIF3F, RARRES2, RNF34, ACTA1, GSTA1, EIF3A, VIM and CS gene transcripts were most highly enriched in the BCB+ oocytes, whereas OLFM1, LINGO1, ALDH1A3, PTHLH, BTN3A3, MRPS2 and PPM1K were most significantly reduced in these cells. Therefore, the follicular cells enclosing developmentally competent oocytes show a higher level of apoptosis and a different pattern of gene expression compared to follicular cells enclosing non-competent bovine oocytes.
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PMID:Incidence of apoptosis and transcript abundance in bovine follicular cells is associated with the quality of the enclosed oocyte. 2257 26

TP53-induced glycolysis and apoptosis regulator (TIGAR) inhibits glycolysis and increases the flow of pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), which generates NADPH and pentose. We hypothesized that TIGAR plays a neuroprotective role in brain ischemia as neurons do not rely on glycolysis but are vulnerable to oxidative stress. We found that TIGAR was highly expressed in brain neurons and was rapidly upregulated in response to ischemia/reperfusion insult in a TP53-independent manner. Overexpression of TIGAR in normal mice with lentivirus reduced ischemic neuronal injury, whereas lentivirus-mediated TIGAR knockdown aggravated it. In cultured primary neurons, increasing TIGAR expression reduced oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD)/reoxygenation-induced injury, whereas decreasing its expression worsened the injury. The glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase was upregulated in mouse and cellular models of stroke, and its upregulation was further enhanced by overexpression of TIGAR. Supplementation of NADPH also reduced ischemia/reperfusion brain injury and alleviated TIGAR knockdown-induced aggravation of ischemic injury. In animal and cellular stroke models, ischemia/reperfusion increased mitochondrial localization of TIGAR. OGD/reoxygenation-induced elevation of ROS, reduction of GSH, dysfunction of mitochondria, and activation of caspase-3 were rescued by overexpression of TIGAR or supplementation of NADPH, while knockdown of TIGAR aggravated these changes. Together, our results show that TIGAR protects ischemic brain injury via enhancing PPP flux and preserving mitochondria function, and thus may be a valuable therapeutic target for ischemic brain injury.
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PMID:A TIGAR-regulated metabolic pathway is critical for protection of brain ischemia. 2487 51

A comparative study of the activity of caspase-1 and caspase-3, the glutathione antioxidant system and NADPH-generating enzymes (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase) and a study of DNA fragmentation in the blood serum of patients with chronic alcoholic hepatitis during basic treatment and combination therapy including melaxen have been carried out. It was found that the blood serum level of reduced glutathione, which decreases in pathology, increased more significantly in patients receiving melaxen as compared to the group of patients receiving the standard treatment. More significant changes in the activity of caspase-1 and caspase-3, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase toward the control values were observed during the combination therapy. The correction in the melatonin level under the influence of melaxen apparently had a positive effect on the free-radical homeostasis in patients, which resulted in more pronounced changes in the investigated parameters towards the normal values as compared to the basic treatment. KEY WORD S chronic alcoholic hepatitis; glutathione peroxidase; glutathione reductase; reduced glutathione; glutathione-S-transferase; caspases; melaxen.
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PMID:The effect of melaxen on the activity of caspases and the glutathione antioxidant system in toxic liver injury. 2509 18


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