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)

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 is a highly abundant nuclear enzyme implicated in transcription, DNA replication, and DNA repair through binding of nascent RNA and interactions with various factors. We found that purified fractions of recombinant human poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 expressed in Escherichia coli possess yet another activity, a Mg(2+)-dependent DNA supercoil relaxation activity. Cleavage of recombinant poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 by caspase-3, an apoptotic protease, reduced this activity, as did the removal of either of the two zinc finger motifs located in the N-terminal DNA-binding domain of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1. In addition, this activity was separated from E. coli topoisomerase I by gel-filtration column chromatography, suggesting that this activity is specifically associated with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1. Because this relaxation activity did not require ATP and was resistant to VP16, a topoisomerase II inhibitor, this activity is closer to that of topoisomerase I. However, the supercoiled DNA relaxation activity associated with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 is distinct from that of human or E. coli topoisomerase I, as this activity could not completely remove superhelical tensions from plasmid DNA. Thus, we referred to this activity as topoisomerase I-like activity. This Mg(2+)-dependent DNA supercoil relaxation activity was found to be sensitive to camptothecin, a mammalian topoisomerase I inhibitor.
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PMID:Camptothecin-sensitive relaxation of supercoiled DNA by the topoisomerase I-like activity associated with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1. 1471 57

3-Amino-1,4-dimethyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole (Trp-P-1) is one of the dietary carcinogens. At the initial step in the carcinogenic process, its exocyclic amino group is metabolically activated to the hydroxyamino derivative by the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A and 1B subfamily and then form DNA adducts, which are considered to be the main cause of DNA damage during the carcinogenic process. On the other hand, our previous study has shown that Trp-P-1 exhibits cytotoxicity to primary cultured rat hepatocytes, via induction of caspase-9-dependent apoptosis without being metabolized by CYP 1A1. In the present study, we investigated what type of DNA damage would be involved in the induction of apoptosis induced by Trp-P-1. When RL-34 cells derived from normal rat liver were treated with a high (30 microM) concentration of Trp-P-1, apoptotic events such as the loss of cell viability, nuclear condensation and the activation of caspase-3 were observed. In these apoptotic cells, intracellular topoisomerase I activity was inhibited and histone H2AX phosphorylation, which occurs after introduction of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), was observed in the early phase of the apoptosis. On the other hand, treatment with a non-apoptotic concentration (1 microM) of Trp-P-1 increased the formation of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine. The formation of DNA adducts was detected at almost the same level in both cells exposed to the apoptotic and non-apoptotic concentrations of Trp-P-1. These results indicate that Trp-P-1-induced apoptosis was triggered by DNA DSBs through the inhibition of topoisomerase I but not the formation of DNA adducts.
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PMID:3-Amino-1,4-dimethyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole (Trp-P-1) triggers apoptosis by DNA double-strand breaks caused by inhibition of topoisomerase I. 1497 28

The effect of ascorbate on cell death was examined in Jurkat cells (human T-cell leukemia) by incubation with dehydroascorbate (DHA), which is rapidly taken up by cells and efficiently reduced to ascorbate. Apoptosis was evaluated by caspase-3 activity in cell extracts and flow cytometry of annexin V-labeled cells. In parallel, necrosis was estimated by the release of lactate dehydrogenase. Minor effects on cell death were observed when Jurkat cells were incubated with either DHA alone (100-1,000 microM) or a single dose of 10 microM H(2)O(2). However, pre-incubation with DHA followed by exposure to H(2)O(2) clearly stimulated both apoptosis and necrosis. In complete contrast, pre-incubation of cells with DHA significantly inhibited apoptosis, but did not affect necrosis, induced by the topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin. Our results indicate that intracellular ascorbate can modulate cell death in a manner which depends upon the nature of the apoptotic stimulus, which in turn has critical implications regarding the mechanism and potential application of ascorbate in cancer therapy.
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PMID:Ascorbate modulation of H(2)O(2) and camptothecin-induced cell death in Jurkat cells. 1519 88

Leishmania, a unicellular trypanosomatid protozoan parasite, causes a wide range of human diseases ranging from the localized self-healing cutaneous lesions to fatal visceral leishmaniasis. However, it undergoes a process of programmed cell death during treatment with the topoisomerase I poison camptothecin (CPT). The present study shows that CPT-induced formation of reactive oxygen species increases the level of cytosolic calcium through the release of calcium ions from intracellular stores as well as by influx of extracellular calcium. Elevation of cytosolic calcium is responsible for depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsim), which is followed by a significant decrease in intracellular pH levels. CPT-induced oxidative stress also causes impairment of the Na+ - K+ -ATPase pump and subsequently decreases the intracellular K+ level in leishmanial cells. A decrease in both intracellular pH and K+ levels propagates the apoptotic process through activation of caspase 3-like proteases by rapid formation of cytochrome c-mediated apoptotic complex. In addition to caspase-like protease activation, a lower level of intracellular K+ also enhances the activation of apoptotic nucleases at the late stage of apoptosis. This suggests that the physiological level of pH and K+ are inhibitory for apoptotic DNA fragmentation and caspase-like protease activation in leishmanial cells. Moreover, unlike mammalian cells, the intracellular ATP level gradually decreases with an increase in the number of apoptotic cells after the loss of DeltaPsim. Taken together, the elucidation of biochemical events, which tightly regulate the process of growth arrest and death of Leishmania donovani promastigotes, allows us to define a more comprehensive view of cell death during treatment with CPT.
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PMID:Camptothecin-induced imbalance in intracellular cation homeostasis regulates programmed cell death in unicellular hemoflagellate Leishmania donovani. 1535 95

The pyrimidine analogue gemcitabine is an established effective agent in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The present study investigates whether gemcitabine would be synergistic with the topoisomerase I inhibitor topotecan against the NSCLC A549 and Calu-6 cells. Cells were treated with gemcitabine and topotecan for 1 h and the type of drug interaction was assessed using the combination index (CI). Cell cycle alterations were analysed by flow cytometry, while apoptosis was examined by the occurrence of DNA internucleosomal fragmentation, nuclear condensation and caspase-3 activation. Moreover, the possible involvement of the PI3K-Akt signalling pathway was investigated by the measurement of Akt phosphorylation. Finally, quantitative, real-time PCR (QRT-PCR) was used to study modulation of the gemcitabine-activating enzyme deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) and the cellular target enzyme ribonucleotide reductase (RR). In results, it was found that simultaneous and sequential topotecan --> gemcitabine treatments were synergistic, while the reverse sequence was antagonistic in both cell lines. DNA fragmentation, nuclear condensation and enhanced caspase-3 activity demonstrated that the drug combination markedly increased apoptosis in comparison with either single agent, while cell cycle analysis showed that topotecan increased cells in S phase. Furthermore, topotecan treatment significantly decreased the amount of the activated form of Akt, and enhanced the expression of dCK (+155.0 and +115.3% in A549 and Calu-6 cells, respectively), potentially facilitating gemcitabine activity. In conclusion, these results indicate that the combination of gemcitabine and topotecan displays schedule-dependent activity in vitro against NSCLC cells. The gemcitabine --> topotecan sequence is antagonistic while drug synergism is obtained with the simultaneous and the sequential topotecan --> gemcitabine combinations, which are associated with induction of decreased Akt phosphorylation and increased dCK expression.
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PMID:Interaction between gemcitabine and topotecan in human non-small-cell lung cancer cells: effects on cell survival, cell cycle and pharmacogenetic profile. 1570 43

The presence of Porphyromonas gingivalis in the periodontal pocket and the high levels of gingipain activity detected in gingival crevicular fluid could implicate a role for gingipains in the destruction of the highly vascular periodontal tissue. To explore the effects of these proteases on endothelial cells, we exposed bovine coronary artery endothelial cells and human microvascular endothelial cells to gingipain-active extracellular protein preparations and/or purified gingipains from P. gingivalis. Treated cells exhibited a rapid loss of cell adhesion properties that was followed by apoptotic cell death. Cleavage of N- and VE-cadherin and integrin beta1 was observed in immunoblots of cell lysates. There was a direct correlation between the kinetics of cleavage of N- and VE-cadherin and loss of cell adhesion properties. Loss of cell adhesion, as well as N- and VE-cadherin and integrin beta1 cleavage, could be inhibited or significantly delayed by preincubation of P. gingivalis W83 gingipain-active extracellular extracts with the cysteine protease inhibitor Nalpha-p-tosyl-l-lysine chloromethylketone. Furthermore, purified gingipains also induced endothelial cell detachment and apoptosis. Apoptosis-associated events, including annexin V positivity, caspase-3 activation, and cleavage of the caspase substrates poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and topoisomerase I (Topo I), were observed in endothelial cells after detachment. All of the effects observed were correlated with the different levels of cysteine-dependent proteolytic activity of the extracts tested. Taken together, these results indicate that gingipains from P. gingivalis can alter cell adhesion molecules and induce endothelial cell death, which could have implications for the pathogenicity of this organism.
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PMID:Gingipains from Porphyromonas gingivalis W83 induce cell adhesion molecule cleavage and apoptosis in endothelial cells. 1573 Oct 52

Inactivation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) has been shown to potentiate the cytotoxicity of distinct DNA targeting agents including topoisomerase I inhibitors. On the other hand, the PARP-1 deficient cells exhibited resistance to conventional inhibitors of topoisomerase II such as etoposide or doxorubicin (DOX). Recently, we observed the extreme sensitivity of PARP-1 knock-out (KO) cells to C-1305, a new biologically active triazoloacridone compound. C-1305 permanently arrested the cells in G2-phase of the cell-cycle. These observations prompted us to investigate more thoroughly the susceptibility of PARP-1 KO cells to DOX and to examine the effect of DOX on the progression of cell-cycle. We determined the uptake of DOX and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression in mouse cells and compared it with that in human myeloma 8226/Dox40 cells overexpressing P-gp. Exposure of mouse cells to DOX revealed a reduced drug uptake in cells lacking PARP-1. However, combined treatment with verapamil, a potent MDR modulator increased the DOX accumulation. Detailed immunoblotting experiments revealed an approximately threefold higher P-gp level in PARP-1 KO cells as compared with normal counterparts. Interestingly, DOX induced in normal fibroblasts very rapidly G2 arrest whereas in PARP-1 KO cells it blocked primarily the transition between S and G2 resulting in the increase of cells remaining in S-phase. This coincided with the lack of the site-specific phosphorylation of CDK2. Simultaneous inhibition of P-gp in cells lacking PARP-1 resulted in an accumulation of cells in G2. Exposure of mouse cells to high DOX dose activated significantly caspase-3/7 in PARP-1 KO cells.
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PMID:Major contribution of the multidrug transporter P-glycoprotein to reduced susceptibility of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 knock-out cells to doxorubicin action. 1586 98

The folate analogue BGC9331 is a new thymidylate synthase (TS) inhibitor showing a broad spectrum of cyto-toxic activity against several human solid tumors, including colorectal cancer. In this study, we investigated the anticancer activity of BGC9331 either alone or combined with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), MTA (multi-target antifolate), oxali-platin and SN-38, the active metabolite of the topoisomerase I inhibitor CPT-11. The antiproliferative activity of each drug and BGC9331-based combinations was investigated in the HT-29 human colorectal cancer cell line and its HT-29/5-FU counterparts selected for resistance to 5-FU. BGC9331 combined with MTA or SN-38 induced synergistic responses in HT-29 cells. Treatment of HT-29 cells with either BGC9331 or SN-38 increased caspase-3 activity and the percentage of apoptotic cells from 3 to 13%. Both drugs also augmented the proteolytic cleavage of the Rho-kinase ROCK-1 that was attenuated by the caspase-3 pathway inhibitor z-DEVD-fmk. BGC9331 combined with SN-38 further increased the percentage of apoptotic cells to 25%, and inhibited cell cycle progression and cell proliferation by 65%. This was accompanied by proteolytic activation of ROCK-1, through both caspase-3-dependent and -independent mechanisms, as shown in caspase-3-deficient MCF-7 breast cancer cells. These encouraging results warrant further preclinical investigations and clinical trials on the use of BGC9331 combined with SN-38/CPT-11 in treatment of patients with advanced colorectal or gastric cancers.
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PMID:Increased anticancer activity of the thymidylate synthase inhibitor BGC9331 combined with the topoisomerase I inhibitor SN-38 in human colorectal and breast cancer cells: induction of apoptosis and ROCK cleavage through caspase-3-dependent and -independent mechanisms. 1601 Apr 39

Reviewed are the methods aimed to detect DNA damage in individual cells, estimate its extent and relate it to cell cycle phase and induction of apoptosis. They include the assays that reveal DNA fragmentation during apoptosis, as well as DNA damage induced by genotoxic agents. DNA fragmentation that occurs in the course of apoptosis is detected by selective extraction of degraded DNA. DNA in chromatin of apoptotic cells shows also increased propensity to undergo denaturation. The most common assay of DNA fragmentation relies on labelling DNA strand breaks with fluorochrome-tagged deoxynucleotides. The induction of double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) by genotoxic agents provides a signal for histone H2AX phosphorylation on Ser139; the phosphorylated H2AX is named gammaH2AX. Also, ATM-kinase is activated through its autophosphorylation on Ser1981. Immunocytochemical detection of gammaH2AX and/or ATM-Ser1981(P) are sensitive probes to reveal induction of DSBs. When used concurrently with analysis of cellular DNA content and caspase-3 activation, they allow one to correlate the extent of DNA damage with the cell cycle phase and with activation of the apoptotic pathway. The presented data reveal cell cycle phase-specific patterns of H2AX phosphorylation and ATM autophosphorylation in response to induction of DSBs by ionizing radiation, topoisomerase I and II inhibitors and carcinogens. Detection of DNA damage in tumour cells during radio- or chemotherapy may provide an early marker predictive of response to treatment.
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PMID:Cytometric assessment of DNA damage in relation to cell cycle phase and apoptosis. 1609 82

Certain hydrophobic bile acids, including deoxycholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid, exert toxic effects not only in the liver but also in the intestine. Moreover, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), which has protective actions against apoptosis in the liver, may have both protective and toxic effects in the intestine. The goal of the present study was to clarify the mechanisms responsible for the toxic effect of UDCA in intestinal HT-29 cells. Here, we show that UDCA potentiated both phosphatidylserine externalization and internucleosomal DNA fragmentation induced by SN-38, the most potent metabolite of the DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor, CPT-11. Furthermore, the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential as well as mitochondrial membrane permeability transition induced by SN-38 was enhanced in the presence of UDCA, resulting in an increased lethality determined by colony-forming assay. This UDCA-induced increased apoptosis was not due to alteration of either intracellular accumulation of SN-38 or cell cycle arrest by SN-38. The increased apoptosis was best observed when UDCA was present after SN-38 stimulation and was independent of caspase-8 but dependent on caspase-9 and caspase-3 activation. Furthermore, UDCA enhanced SN-38-induced c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase activation. In conclusion, UDCA increases the apoptotic effects while decreasing the necrotic effects of SN-38 when added after the topoisomerase I inhibitor, showing potential clinical relevance as far as targeted cell death and improved wound healing are concerned. However, the use of this bile acid as an enhancer in antitumor chemotherapy should be further evaluated clinically.
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PMID:Enhancement of DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor-induced apoptosis by ursodeoxycholic acid. 1643 64


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