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)

Upon binding of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL), the agonistic TRAIL receptors DR4 and DR5 activate caspase-8 leading to apoptosis. In primitive neuroectodermal brain tumour (PNET) cell lines, TRAIL-induced apoptosis was recently shown to correlate with caspase-8 mRNA expression (Grotzer MA, Eggert A, Zuzak TJ, et al. Oncogene 2000, 19, 4604-4610). In this study, we analysed the expression of the TRAIL death pathway in 27 primary PNET/medulloblastoma. As shown by semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), all PNET/medulloblastoma evaluated expressed DR5, the adapter protein FADD and caspase-3, but only 48% expressed caspase-8. The mRNA expression of caspase-8 was significantly lower in primary PNET/medulloblastoma compared with normal brain samples. PCR revealed >75% methylation of the caspase-8 promoter region in three of seven PNET cell lines and in 55% of the primary PNET/medulloblastoma evaluated. In the PNET cell lines, the methylation status correlated with the caspase-8 mRNA expression. We conclude that loss of caspase-8 gene expression is common in PNET/medulloblastoma suggesting that suppression of death receptor induced apoptosis may play an important role in the pathogenesis of this common childhood brain tumour.
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PMID:Loss of caspase-8 mRNA expression is common in childhood primitive neuroectodermal brain tumour/medulloblastoma. 1182 14

TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL/APO-2L) is a member of the TNF family that promotes apoptosis by binding to the transmembrane receptors TRAIL-R1/DR4 and TRAIL-R2/DR5. Its cytotoxic activity is relatively selective to the human tumor cell lines without much effect on the normal cells. Hence, it exerts an antitumor activity without causing toxicity, as apparent by studies with several xenograft models. This review discusses the intracellular mechanisms by which TRAIL induces apoptosis. The major pathway of its action proceeds through the formation of DISC and activation of caspase-8. The apoptotic processes, therefore, follow two signaling pathways, namely the mitochondrial-independent activation of caspase-3, and mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis due to cleavage of BID by caspase-8, the formation of apoptosomes, and activation of caspase-9 and the downstream caspases. Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L) have no effect on TRAIL-induced apoptosis in lymphoid cells, whereas these genes block or delay apoptosis in nonlymphoid cancer cells. TRAIL participates in cytotoxicity mediated by activated NK cells, monocytes, and some cytotoxic T cells. Hence, TRAIL may prove to be an effective antitumor agent. In addition, it may enhance the effectiveness of treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs and irradiation. Nontagged Apo-2L/TRAIL does not cause hepatotoxicity in monkeys and chimpanzees and in normal human hepatocytes. Thus, nontagged Apo-2L/TRAIL appears to be a promising new candidate for use in the treatment of cancer.
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PMID:TRAIL/Apo-2L: mechanisms and clinical applications in cancer. 1177 36

Gamma-interferon (IFN-gamma) a cytokine produced by CD4+ T helper type 1 cells, CD8+ T cells and natural killer (NK) cells, plays a central role in the development of humoral and cell-mediated immunity. IFN-gamma participates in the maturation and differentiation of B cells, but it has been previously reported that IFN-gamma may inhibit the early stages of B cell activation. We report that the inhibition of the B lymphoma cell WEHI-279-proliferation induced by IFN-gamma, involves the induction of typical features of apoptosis (nuclear chromatin condensation and fragmentation, cell shrinkage, phosphatidyl-serine (PS) exposure and mitochondrial membrane potential (delta psim) loss). IFN-gamma-mediated B cell apoptosis was decreased by the addition of the T helper type 2 cytokine, IL-4. WEHI-279 cells express CD95 and undergo apoptosis after treatment with either an agonistic anti-CD95 Ab or with a soluble recombinant CD95L. However, incubation with CD95-Fc or TRAIL-R1-Fc fusion proteins, did not prevent IFN-gamma-mediated apoptosis, suggesting that IFN-gamma-mediated apoptosis occurs independently of CD95/CD95L and TRAIL-R/TRAIL interactions. IFN-gamma-mediated apoptosis is associated with caspase-3 activation that can be prevented by the addition of the broad caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk. These data indicate that IFN-gamma may play a major role in the regulation of B cell apoptosis, and suggest the involvement of an alternative pathway which is independent of the death receptors.
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PMID:Gamma-interferon induces apoptosis of the B lymphoma WEHI-279 cell line through a CD95/CD95L-independent mechanism. 1178 Nov 85

Recent reports suggest that a cross-talk exists between apoptosis pathways mediated by mitochondria and cell death receptors. In the present study, we report that mitochondrial events are required for apoptosis induced by the cell death ligand TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) in human cancer cells. We show that the Bax null cancer cells are resistant to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Bax deficiency has no effect on TRAIL-induced caspase-8 activation and subsequent cleavage of Bid; however, it results in an incomplete caspase-3 processing because of inhibition by XIAP. Release of Smac/DIABLO from mitochondria through the TRAIL-caspase-8-tBid-Bax cascade is required to remove the inhibitory effect of XIAP and allow apoptosis to proceed. Inhibition of caspase-9 activity has no effect on TRAIL-induced caspase-3 activation and cell death, whereas expression of the active form of Smac/DIABLO in the cytosol is sufficient to reconstitute TRAIL sensitivity in Bax-deficient cells. Our results show for the first time that Bax-dependent release of Smac/DIABLO, not cytochrome c, from mitochondria mediates the contribution of the mitochondrial pathway to death receptor-mediated apoptosis.
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PMID:TRAIL-induced apoptosis requires Bax-dependent mitochondrial release of Smac/DIABLO. 1178 43

Lung carcinoma is one of the most frequent causes of malignancy-related mortality in the world. Paclitaxel (PA) is an antineoplastic agent used in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and possesses a single-agent response rate approaching 25%. PA kills tumor cells by inducing both cellular necrosis and apoptosis. Fas and Trail receptors (DR4 and DR5) are TNF family members and act as death signal transduction proteins in the apoptosis cascade. Despite the importance of PA in lung cancer treatment, the function of Fas, DR4 and DR5 in PA-induced apoptosis, as well as the effect of their respective ligands FasL and TRAIL alone or in combination with PA, remains poorly understood. We show here that 10 microM PA induces a significant 10- to 57-fold increase in primary lung cancer cell apoptosis and is associated with 20-215% increases in caspase-3 activity in various NSCLC cell types. All the lung cancer cells express Fas, FasL, DR4 and DR5; however PA did not significantly modify their levels. We provide here the first time evidence that TRAIL is a potent inducer of apoptosis in multiple NSCLC cell lines. Noticeably, CH11, the Fas receptor cross-linking and the antagonistic anti-DR5 antibody enhance considerably the spontaneous apoptotic rate in 3 out of 5 cell types. The combination treatments, FasL+PA, TRAIL+PA or PA+anti-DR5 antibody, greatly enhance PA-apoptotic effect in most cell lines. These data suggest that the use of new combination treatment with PA and ligands targeting Fas or TRAIL receptors would be particularly efficacious.
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PMID:TRAIL, FasL and a blocking anti-DR5 antibody augment paclitaxel-induced apoptosis in human non-small-cell lung cancer. 1180 7

The PTEN tumor suppressor is frequently mutated in human tumors. Loss of PTEN function is associated with constitutive survival signaling through the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/Akt pathway. Therefore, we asked if reconstitution of PTEN function would lead to the reversal of resistance to apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. Adenovirus-mediated expression of PTEN completely suppressed constitutive Akt activation in LNCaP prostate cancer cells and enhanced apoptosis induced by a broad range of apoptotic stimuli. PTEN expression sensitized cells to death receptor-mediated apoptosis induced by tumor necrosis factor, anti-Fas antibody, and TRAIL. PTEN also sensitized cells to non-receptor mediated apoptosis induced by a kinase inhibitor staurosporine and chemotherapeutic agents mitoxantrone and etoposide. PTEN-mediated apoptosis was accompanied by caspase-3 and caspase-8 activation and was inhibited by a broad specificity caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk. Bcl-2 overexpression also blocked PTEN-mediated apoptosis. Lipid phosphatase activity of PTEN is required for apoptosis as the PTEN G129E mutant selectively deficient in lipid phosphatase activity was unable to sensitize cells to apoptosis. PTEN-mediated apoptosis involves a FADD-dependent pathway for both death receptor-mediated and drug-induced apoptosis as coexpression of a dominant negative FADD mutant blocked PTEN-mediated apoptosis. Since in death receptor signaling, FADD mediates activation of caspase-8, which in turn cleaves BID, and since caspase-8 is activated in PTEN-mediated apoptosis, we examined BID cleavage in PTEN-mediated apoptosis. PTEN facilitated BID cleavage after treatment with low doses of staurosporine and mitoxantrone. BID cleavage was inhibited by dominant negative FADD. Taken together, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that PTEN promotes drug-induced apoptosis by facilitating caspase-8 activation and BID cleavage through a FADD-dependent pathway.
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PMID:PTEN sensitizes prostate cancer cells to death receptor-mediated and drug-induced apoptosis through a FADD-dependent pathway. 1180 75

TRAIL is a pro-apoptotic cytokine believed to selectively kill cancer cells without harming normal ones. However, we found that in normal human prostate epithelial cells (PrEC) TRAIL is capable of inducing apoptosis as efficiently as in some tumor cell lines. At the same time, TRAIL did not cause apoptosis in several other human primary cell lines: aorta smooth muscle cells, foreskin fibroblasts, and umbilical vein endothelial cells. Compared to these primary cells, PrEC were found to contain significantly fewer TRAIL receptors DcR1 and DcR2 which are not capable of conducting the apoptotic signal. This result suggests that the unusual sensitivity of PrEC to TRAIL may result from their deficiency in anti-apoptotic decoy receptors. The protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide significantly enhanced TRAIL toxicity toward PrEC as measured by tetrazolium conversion but had little or no effect on other TRAIL-induced apoptotic responses. Although cycloheximide did not further accelerate the processing of caspases 3 and 8, it significantly enhanced cleavage of the caspase 3 substrate gelsolin, indicating that in PrEC a protein(s) with a short half-life may inhibit the activity of the executioner caspases toward specific substrates. As the majority of prostate cancers are derived from epithelial cells, our data suggest the possibility that TRAIL could be a useful treatment for the early stages of prostate cancer.
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PMID:Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) triggers apoptosis in normal prostate epithelial cells. 1185 Aug 32

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL/Apo2L) has been shown to induce apoptosis in malignant cells without harming normal cells. To determine the antitumor potential of TRAIL against prostate cells, we undertook a comprehensive study that included eight prostate cancer cells lines (CWR22Rv1, Du145, DuPro, JCA-1, LNCaP, PC-3, PPC-1, and TsuPr1) and primary cultures of normal prostate epithelial cells (PrEC). Cells were tested for susceptibility to soluble TRAIL in the presence or absence of the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin. TRAIL was also delivered by an adenoviral vector. Our results reveal that Du145, DuPro, LNCap, TsuPr1, and PrEC were resistant to 100 ng/mL TRAIL. JCA-1 and PPC-1 were slightly sensitive (20% killing) and PC-3 and CWR22Rv1 exhibited the highest sensitivity to TRAIL (30% and 50% killing, respectively). The combination of 10 ng/mL TRAIL with doxorubicin resulted in 60-80% cytotoxicity in seven of eight prostate cancer cells. TRAIL-mediated apoptosis involved cleavage of Bid, caspase-3, and PARP, and required caspase-8 and -9 activity. Full-length TRAIL delivered by an adenoviral vector (AdTRAIL-IRES-GFP) killed prostate cancer cell lines and PrEC without requisite doxorubicin cotreatment. Therefore, expression of the transgene from a tissue-specific promotor would make gene therapy with AdTRAIL-IRES-GFP a possibility.
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PMID:Resistance of prostate cancer cells to soluble TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL/Apo2L) can be overcome by doxorubicin or adenoviral delivery of full-length TRAIL. 1185 34

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is one of the latest members of the TNF superfamily known to induce apoptosis in a wide variety of tumor cells. Some cell types, however, are quite resistant to TRAIL. We investigated the effect of ectopic expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL on TRAIL-induced apoptosis in human acute myelogenous leukemia HL-60 cells. We found that HL-60 cells, which express TRAIL receptors (also called death receptor, DR) DR4, DR5, and Dc (decoy) R2, are highly sensitive to TRAIL-induced cytotoxicity. Greater than 90% killing occurred within 24 h of TRAIL treatment. The expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, however, completely abolished the TRAIL-induced cytotoxic effects. Treatment of HL-60 cells with TRAIL induced caspase-8 activation within 2-4 h, but no activation could be seen in Bcl-2-expressing or Bcl-xL-expressing cells. TRAIL also induced cleavage of BID, which was also abolished by Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Similarly, TRAIL activated caspase-3 and caspase-7 in control cells but not in cells expressing Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL. Cleavage of the caspase-3 substrate poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), was abrogated by ectopic expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Inhibition of caspases by the pan-caspase inhibitor, benzyloxycarbonyl-valine-alanine-aspartate-fluoromethylketone (zVAD-fmk) abolished the TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Overall, these results indicate that TRAIL-induced apoptosis involves activation of caspase-8, caspase-7, caspase-3, and BID cleavage, and Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL prevents TRAIL-induced apoptosis by abrogating caspase activation and BID cleavage.
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PMID:Ectopic expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL inhibits apoptosis induced by TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) through suppression of caspases-8, 7, and 3 and BID cleavage in human acute myelogenous leukemia cell line HL-60. 1191 10

Tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL/APO-2L) induces apoptosis in a variety of tumour cells upon binding to death receptors TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2. Here we describe the sensitization by interferon (IFN)-gamma to TRAIL-induced apoptosis in the breast tumour cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB231. IFN-gamma promoted TRAIL-mediated activation of caspase-8, Bcl-2 interacting domain death agonist (Bid) degradation, Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) translocation to mitochondria, cytochrome c release to the cytosol and activation of caspase-9 in these cell lines. No changes in the expression of TRAIL receptors were observed upon IFN-gamma treatment. Overexpression of Bcl-2 in MCF-7 cells completely inhibited IFN-gamma-induced sensitization to TRAIL-mediated cell death. Interestingly, TRAIL-induced apoptosis was also clearly enhanced by IFN-gamma in caspase-3-overexpressing MCF-7 cells, in the absence of Bax translocation to mitochondria and cytochrome c release to the cytosol. In summary, our results suggest that IFN-gamma facilitates TRAIL-induced activation of mitochondria-regulated as well as mitochondria-independent apoptotic pathways in breast tumour cells.
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PMID:Mitochondria-dependent and -independent mechanisms in tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced apoptosis are both regulated by interferon-gamma in human breast tumour cells. 1193 54


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