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)

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a stress-responsive enzyme that catabolizes heme into carbon monoxide (CO), biliverdin, and iron, has previously been shown to protect grafts from ischemia/reperfusion injury and rejection. Here we investigated the protective potential of HO-1 in 5 models of immune-mediated liver injury. We found that up-regulation of endogenous HO-1 by cobalt-protoporphyrin-IX (CoPP) protected mice from apoptotic liver damage induced by anti-CD95 antibody (Ab) or d-galactosamine in combination with either anti-CD3 Ab, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). HO-1 induction prevented apoptotic liver injury, measured by inhibition of caspase 3 activation, although it did not protect mice from caspase-3-independent necrotic liver damage caused by concanavalin A (Con A) administration. In addition, overexpression of HO-1 by adenoviral gene transfer resulted in protection from apoptotic liver injury, whereas inhibition of HO-1 enzymatic activity by tin-protoporphyrin-IX (SnPP) abrogated the protective effect. HO-1-mediated protection seems to target parenchymal liver cells directly because CoPP treatment protected isolated primary hepatocytes from anti-CD95-induced apoptosis in vitro. Furthermore, depletion of Kupffer cells (KCs) did not interfere with the protective effect in vivo. Exogenous CO administration or treatment with the CO-releasing agent methylene chloride mimicked the protective effect of HO-1, whereas treatment with exogenous biliverdin or overexpression of ferritin by recombinant adenoviral gene transfer did not. In conclusion, HO-1 is a potent protective factor for cytokine- and CD95-mediated apoptotic liver damage. Induction of HO-1 might be of a therapeutic modality for inflammatory liver diseases.
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PMID:Heme oxygenase-1 and its reaction product, carbon monoxide, prevent inflammation-related apoptotic liver damage in mice. 1572 11

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is emerging as an important cytoprotective enzyme system in a variety of injury models. To optimize future therapeutic applications of HO-1, it is necessary to delineate the precise functions and mechanisms as well as modes of externally regulating HO-1 expression. Investigations have been limited by difficulties with the generation of HO-1 null mice and the lack of specific HO-1 inhibitors. Lung ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury is the inciting event in acute lung failure following transplantation, surgery, and shock. To study the function of HO-1 in I-R-induced lung injury, we designed small interfering RNA (siRNA) sequences that effectively suppress HO-1 expression both in vitro and in vivo in an organ-specific manner. In this study we show that there is enhanced apoptosis, via increased Fas expression and caspase 3 activity, in the presence of HO-1 siRNA in endothelial cells and mouse lung during I-R injury, whereas HO-1 overexpression attenuates apoptosis. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to demonstrate that lung-specific siRNA delivery can be achieved by intranasal administration without the need for viral vectors or transfection agents in vivo, thereby obviating potential concerns for toxicity if siRNA technology is to have clinical application in the future.
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PMID:Small interfering RNA targeting heme oxygenase-1 enhances ischemia-reperfusion-induced lung apoptosis. 1468 67

INTRODUCTION: Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is a stress response enzyme, which catalyses the breakdown of heme into biliverdin-IX alpha, carbon monoxide and ferrous iron. Under situations of oxidative stress, heat stress, ischemia/reperfusion injury or endotoxemia, HO-1 has been shown to be induced and to elicit a protective effect. The mechanism of how this protective effect is executed is unknown. RESULTS: HO-1 induction with cobalt protoporphorin (Co-PP) dose-dependently protected against apoptotic cell death as well as neutrophil-mediated oncosis in the galactosamine/endotoxin (Gal/ET) shock model. Induction of HO-1 with Co-PP dose-dependently protected against neutrophil-mediated oncosis as indicated by attenuated ALT release and TNF-mediated apoptotic cell death as indicated by reduced caspase-3 activation. HO-1 induction did not attenuate Gal/ET-induced TNF-alpha formation. Furthermore, a similar protective effect with the high dose of Co-PP was observed when animals were treated with Gal/TNF-alpha. CONCLUSIONS: HO-1 induction attenuates apoptosis and neutrophil-mediated oncosis in the Gal/ET shock model. However, the protective effect is not due to the reduction of TNF-alpha release or the attenuation of neutrophil accumulation in the liver sinusoids.
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PMID:Heme oxygenase-1 induction in hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cells protects against liver injury during endotoxemia. 1496 Jan 94

Mitochondria provide cellular energy supply via respiration and are the major sites for the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Mitochondria also play a fundamental role in apoptosis. Heme is a key factor in mitochondrial function. Defective heme synthesis or altered heme metabolism is associated with numerous diseases. Here we investigated the molecular mechanism by which heme promotes HeLa cell growth and survival. We found that heme deficiency-induced apoptosis involves the release of cytochrome c and the activation of caspase 3. However, heme deficiency-induced apoptosis appears to occur by a unique mechanism distinct from those known to mediate mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis. Specifically, our data show that heme deficiency causes apoptosis in a pathway that is independent of ROS generation and the collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential. These results provide insights into how defective heme synthesis or altered heme metabolism causes diseases and how heme may control cell growth and cell death.
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PMID:Heme deficiency causes apoptosis but does not increase ROS generation in HeLa cells. 1519 76

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is a cytoprotective protein that catalyzes the degradation of heme to biliverdin, iron, and carbon monoxide (CO). In the present study, we found that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress induced by a variety of experimental agents stimulated a time- and concentration-dependent increase in HO-1 mRNA and protein in vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC). The induction of HO-1 by ER stress was blocked by actinomycin D or cycloheximide and was independent of any changes in HO-1 mRNA stability. Luciferase reporter assays indicated that ER stress stimulated HO-1 promoter activity via the antioxidant response element. Moreover, ER stress induced the nuclear import of Nrf2 and the binding of Nrf2 to the HO-1 antioxidant response element. Interestingly, ER stress stimulated SMC apoptosis, as demonstrated by annexin V binding, caspase-3 activation, and DNA laddering. The induction of apoptosis by ER stress was potentiated by HO inhibition, whereas it was prevented by addition of HO substrate. In addition, exposure of SMC to exogenously administered CO inhibited ER stress-mediated apoptosis, and this was associated with a decrease in the expression of the proapoptotic protein, GADD153. In contrast, the other HO-1 products failed to block apoptosis or GADD153 expression during ER stress. These results demonstrated that ER stress is an inducer of HO-1 gene expression in vascular SMC and that HO-1-derived CO acts in an autocrine fashion to inhibit SMC apoptosis. The capacity of ER stress to stimulate the HO-1/CO system provides a novel mechanism by which this organelle regulates cell survival.
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PMID:Endoplasmic reticulum stress stimulates heme oxygenase-1 gene expression in vascular smooth muscle. Role in cell survival. 1554 73

Melanocytes play a central role in the response of skin to sunlight exposure. They are directly involved in UV-induced pigmentation as a defense mechanism. However, their alteration can lead to melanoma, a process where the role of sun overexposure is highly probable. The transformation process whereby UV damage may result in melanoma initiation is poorly understood, especially in terms of UV-induced genotoxicity in pigmented cells, where melanin can act either as a sunscreen or as a photosensitizer. The aim of this study was to analyze the behavior of melanocytes from fair skin under irradiation mimicking environmental sunlight in terms of spectral power distribution. To do this, normal human Caucasian melanocytes in culture were exposed to simulated solar UV (SSUV, 300-400 nm). Even at relatively high doses (until 20 min exposure, corresponding to 12 kJ/m2 UV-B and 110 kJ/m2 UV-A), cell death was limited, as shown by cell viability and low occurrence of apoptosis (caspase-3 activation). Moreover, p53 accumulation was three times lower in melanocytes than in unpigmented cells such as fibroblasts after SSUV exposure. However, an important fraction of melanocyte population was arrested in G2-M phase, and this correlated well with a high induction level of the gene GADD45, 4 h after exposure. Among the genes involved in DNA repair, gene XPC was the most inducible because its expression increased more than two-fold 15 h after a 20 min exposure, whereas expression of P48 was only slightly increased. In addition, an early induction of Heme Oxygenase 1 (HO1) gene, a typical response to oxidative stress, was also observed for the first time in melanocytes. Interestingly, this induction remained significant when melanocytes were exposed to UV-A radiation only (320-400 nm), and stimulation of melanogenesis before irradiation further increased HO1 induction. These results were obtained with normal human cells after exposure to SSUV radiation, which mimicked natural sunlight. They provide new data related to gene expression and suggest that melanin in light skin could contribute to sunlight-induced genotoxicity and maybe to melanocyte transformation.
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PMID:Molecular responses to stress induced in normal human caucasian melanocytes in culture by exposure to simulated solar UV. 1562 56

Haem-oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and anti-proliferative effects. We investigated HO-1 expression in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and could demonstrate a scattered expression of HO-1 in the intestinal epithelium of severely inflamed colonic mucosa of patients with IBD compared to control specimens such as diverticulitis, suggesting dysregulated expression in IBD. To further analyse potential mechanisms of HO-1 induction in the intestine we employed an in vitro epithelial cell apoptosis model and an experimental colitis model. In vitro induction of HO-1 by the HO-1 inducer cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP) resulted in a dose-dependent down-regulation of caspase-3 activation in HT-29 cells, indicating an anti-apoptotic function of HO-1 in the intestine. In vivo, preventive HO-1 induction by CoPP in acute dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced colitis led to a significant down-regulation of colonic inflammation (P < 0.01) with a concomitant reduction in interferon (IFN)-gamma - but unaffected interleukin (IL)-10-secretion by isolated mesenteric lymph nodes (P < 0.01). Additionally, TUNEL staining of colonic sections demonstrated fewer apoptotic epithelial cells in the colon of CoPP treated animals. No beneficial effects were observed if HO-1 was induced by CoPP after the onset of acute colitis or in chronic DSS-induced colitis. In conclusion, the data suggest a protective role of HO-1 if it is induced before the onset of inflammation. However, as shown by the lack of effects in established acute or in chronic colitis, the induction of HO-1 may not be a promising approach for the treatment of IBD.
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PMID:Analysis of intestinal haem-oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in clinical and experimental colitis. 1593 18

In cerebral circulation, epileptic seizures associated with excessive release of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate cause endothelial injury. Heme oxygenase (HO), which metabolizes heme to a vasodilator, carbon monoxide (CO), and antioxidants, biliverdin/bilirubin, is highly expressed in cerebral microvessels as a constitutive isoform, HO-2, whereas the inducible form, HO-1, is not detectable. Using cerebral vascular endothelial cells from newborn pigs and HO-2-knockout mice, we addressed the hypotheses that 1) glutamate induces oxidative stress-related endothelial death by apoptosis, and 2) HO-1 and HO-2 are protective against glutamate cytotoxicity. In cerebral endothelial cells, glutamate (0.1-2.0 mM) increased formation of reactive oxygen species, including superoxide radicals, and induced major keystone events of apoptosis, such as NF-kappaB nuclear translocation, caspase-3 activation, DNA fragmentation, and cell detachment. Glutamate-induced apoptosis was greatly exacerbated in HO-2 gene-deleted murine cerebrovascular endothelial cells and in porcine cells with pharmacologically inhibited HO-2 activity. Glutamate toxicity was prevented by superoxide dismutase, suggesting apoptotic changes are oxidative stress related. When HO-1 was pharmacologically upregulated by cobalt protoporphyrin, apoptotic effects of glutamate in cerebral endothelial cells were completely prevented. Glutamate-induced reactive oxygen species production and apoptosis were blocked by a CO-releasing compound, CORM-A1 (50 microM), and by bilirubin (1 microM), consistent with the antioxidant and cytoprotective roles of the end products of HO activity. We conclude that both HO-1 and HO-2 have anti-apoptotic effects against oxidative stress-related glutamate toxicity in cerebral vascular endothelium. Although HO-1, when induced, provides powerful protection, HO-2 is an essential endogenous anti-apoptotic factor against glutamate toxicity in the cerebral vascular endothelium.
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PMID:Glutamate induces oxidative stress and apoptosis in cerebral vascular endothelial cells: contributions of HO-1 and HO-2 to cytoprotection. 1637 40

Allografts transplanted across ABO incompatibility or human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-sensitization undergoes antibody (Ab) mediated hyperacute rejection. Depleting anti-graft Ab from the recipient by plasmapheresis prior to transplantation can prevent this Ab-mediated rejection. Under these conditions, allografts have been shown to function even when the Ab rebound in the recipients. We have developed an in vitro model using human aortic endothelial cells (EC) and elucidated the ability of W6/32 HLA class I monoclonal Ab to provide signals following binding to MHC class I molecules. Using this model, we show that ECs undergo caspase 3-dependent cell death by apoptosis upon exposure to saturating concentrations of W6/32 and complement. In contrast, exposure of ECs to sub-saturating concentrations of W6/32 conferred resistance towards Ab/complement-mediated lysis that has been termed accommodation. Accommodated ECs exhibited a significant increase in the expression of anti-apoptotic genes Bcl-xL, Bcl-2 and Heme Oxygenase-1 and the induction of Phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) dependent protein kinase A activities that facilitate the phosphorylation of Bad at positions Ser(136) and Ser(112). In conclusion, exposure of sub-saturating concentrations of HLA class I Ab results in the induction of signals downstream that confers resistance to endothelial cells against Ab-complement mediated cell death. Together, the observations made in this study will provide the basis for delineating the molecular mechanisms involved in mediating accommodation and developing strategies to induce accommodation in grafts prior to transplantation in highly sensitized patients.
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PMID:HLA class I antibody mediated accommodation of endothelial cells via the activation of PI3K/cAMP dependent PKA pathway. 1643 Dec 85

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) causes oxidative stress and apoptosis in a variety of cell types. Heme oxygenase (HO) degrades heme to bilirubin, an antioxidant, and carbon monoxide (CO), a cell cycle modulator, and a vasodilator. Newborn pig cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (CMVEC) highly express constitutive HO-2. We investigated the role of HO-2 in protection against TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis in cerebral vascular endothelium. In CMVEC from mice and newborn pigs, 15 ng/ml TNF-alpha alone, or with 10 microg/ml cycloheximide (CHX) caused apoptosis detected by nuclear translocation of p65 NF-kappaB, caspase-3 activation, DNA fragmentation, cell-cell contact destabilization, and cell detachment. TNF-alpha did not induce HO-1 expression in CMVEC. CMVEC from HO-2 knockout mice showed greater sensitivity to apoptosis caused by serum deprivation and TNF-alpha than did wild-type mice. TNF-alpha increased reactive oxygen species generation, including hydrogen peroxide and superoxide radicals, as detected by dihydrorhodamine-123 and dihydroethidium. The TNF-alpha response was inhibited by superoxide dismutase and catalase suggesting apoptosis is oxidative stress related. Inhibition of endogenous HO-2 in newborn pig CMVEC increased oxidative stress and exaggerated apoptosis caused by serum deprivation and TNF-alpha. In HO-1-overexpressing CMVEC (HO-1 selective induction by cobalt portophyrin), TNF-alpha did not cause apoptosis. A CO-releasing compound, CORM-A1, and bilirubin blocked TNF-alpha-induced reactive oxygen species accumulation and apoptosis consistent with the antioxidant and antiapoptotic roles of the end products of HO activity. We conclude that HO-2 is critical for protection of cerebrovascular endothelium against apoptotic changes induced by oxidative stress and cytokine-mediated inflammation.
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PMID:HO-2 provides endogenous protection against oxidative stress and apoptosis caused by TNF-alpha in cerebral vascular endothelial cells. 1682 52


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