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)

The mycotoxin CTN (citrinin), a natural contaminant in foodstuffs and animal feeds, has cytotoxic and genotoxic effects on various mammalian cells. CTN is known to cause cell injury, including apoptosis, but the precise regulatory mechanisms of CTN action, particularly in stem cells and embryos, are currently unclear. In the present paper, I report that CTN has cytotoxic effects on mouse embryonic stem cells and blastocysts, and is associated with defects in their subsequent development, both in vitro and in vivo. Experiments in embryonic stem cells (ESC-B5) showed that CTN induces apoptosis via ROS (reactive oxygen species) generation, increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, loss of MMP (mitochondrial membrane potential), induction of cytochrome c release, and activation of caspase 3. In this model, CTN triggers cell death via inactivation of the HSP90 [a 90 kDa isoform of the HSP (heat-shock protein) family proteins]/multichaperone complex and subsequent degradation of Ras and Raf-1, further inhibiting anti-apoptotic processes, such as the Ras-->ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) signal transduction pathway. In addition, CTN causes early developmental injury in mouse ESCs and blastocysts in vitro. Lastly, using an in vivo mouse model, I show that consumption of drinking water containing 10 muM CTN results in blastocyst apoptosis and early embryonic developmental injury. Collectively, these findings show for the first time that CTN induces ROS and mitochondria-dependent apoptotic processes, inhibits Ras-->ERK survival signalling via inactivation of the HSP90/multichaperone complex, and causes developmental injury in vivo.
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PMID:Citrinin induces apoptosis via a mitochondria-dependent pathway and inhibition of survival signals in embryonic stem cells, and causes developmental injury in blastocysts. 1733 Oct 71

The purpose of this study was to characterize the expression of apoptosis (caspase 3, Bcl-2) and survival (HSP 70, antioxidant CuZn-SOD) proteins in intestinal lymphocytes (IL) of mice after repeated exercise stress. Plasma corticosterone concentration was greater than twofold higher immediately after exercise compared with the non-exercised condition. IL numbers decreased 24 h after cessation of exercise (p<0.05); this was associated with increased caspase 3 (p<0.05), HSP 70 (p<0.001) and CuZn-SOD (p<0.05) expression in IL immediately after exercise relative to IL from non-exercised mice. Expression of these proteins returned to control levels 24 h after the cessation of exercise stress.
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PMID:Effect of repeated exercise stress on caspase 3, Bcl-2, HSP 70 and CuZn-SOD protein expression in mouse intestinal lymphocytes. 1756 Dec 70

Successive bouts of endurance exercise are associated with both increased cardiac levels of heat shock protein-72 (HSP-72) and improved cardioprotection against ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)-induced cardiac cell death. Although overexpression of HSP-72 has been shown to be cardioprotective in transgenic animals, it is unclear whether increased levels of HSP-72 are essential for exercise-induced cardioprotection against I/R-mediated cell death. We tested the hypothesis that exercise-induced increases in myocardial levels of HSP-72 are required to achieve exercise-mediated protection against I/R-induced cardiac cell death. To test this postulate, we investigated the effect of preventing the exercise-induced increase in cardiac HSP-72 on myocardial infarction and apoptosis after 50 min of in vivo ischemia and 120 min of reperfusion. Adult male rats remained sedentary or performed successive bouts of endurance exercise in cold (8 degrees C) or warm (22 degrees C) environments. We found that, compared with sedentary control animals, exercise in a warm environment significantly increased myocardial HSP-72 content. In contrast, exercise in the cold environment prevented the exercise-induced increase in myocardial HSP-72 levels. After in vivo myocardial I/R, infarct size was reduced in both exercised groups compared with sedentary animals. Furthermore, compared with sedentary rats, I/R-induced myocardial apoptosis (as indicated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP-mediated nick-end labeling-positive nuclei and caspase-3 activity) was attenuated in both groups of exercised animals. Therefore, although HSP-72 has cardioprotective properties, our results reveal that increased myocardial levels of HSP-72 (above control) are not essential for exercise-induced protection against I/R-induced myocardial infarction and apoptosis.
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PMID:Exercise-induced HSP-72 elevation and cardioprotection against infarct and apoptosis. 1756 68

Oligodendrocyte progenitors are highly susceptible to various insults. Their limited antioxidant defenses and high levels of apoptotic factors, such as Bax and pro-caspase-3 contribute to their sensitivity. We previously showed that dopamine (DA) is toxic to oligodendrocyte progenitors by inducing superoxide generation, lowering glutathione levels and promoting apoptosis through caspase-3 activation. In contrast, factors that contribute to cell survival and defense against dopamine (DA) toxicity are less studied. Here, we explored the role of two molecules which play important roles in cell survival, namely the heat shock protein 90 (HSP-90) and the protein kinase Akt, using the selective inhibitors, 17-AAG and Akt inhibitor III, respectively. The HSP-90 inhibitor caused a decrease in P-Akt level, induced caspase-3 activation, increased nuclear condensation and caused a loss in cell viability. Furthermore, 17-AAG potentiated DA-induced apoptosis by enhancing caspase-3 activation. In addition, the Akt inhibitor alone exacerbated DA toxicity and in combination with 17-AAG caused synergistic potentiation of DA toxicity by enhancing caspase-3 activation. Together, these results indicate that HSP-90 is essential for oligodendrocyte progenitor survival. Both HSP-90 and Akt play important roles in concert in the defense against DA-induced apoptosis.
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PMID:Dopamine-induced toxicity is synergistically potentiated by simultaneous HSP-90 and Akt inhibition in oligodendrocyte progenitors. 1819 34

Shortened telomeres are a normal consequence of cell division. However, telomere shortening past a critical point results in cellular senescence and death. To determine the effect of telomere shortening on lung, four generations of B6.Cg-Terc(tm1Rdp) mice, null for the terc component of telomerase, the holoenzyme that maintains telomeres, were bred and analyzed. Generational inbreeding of terc-/- mice caused sequential shortening of telomeres. Lung histology from the generation with the shortest telomeres (terc-/- F4) showed alveolar wall thinning and increased alveolar size. Morphometric analysis confirmed a significant increase in mean linear intercept (MLI). terc-/- F4 lung showed normal elastin deposition but had significantly decreased collagen content. Both airway and alveolar epithelial type 1 cells (AEC1) appeared normal by immunohistochemistry, and the percentage of alveolar epithelial type 2 cells (AEC2) per total cell number was similar to wild type. However, because of a decrease in distal lung cellularity, the absolute number of AEC2 in terc-/- F4 lung was significantly reduced. In contrast to wild type, terc-/- F4 distal lung epithelium from normoxia-maintained mice exhibited DNA damage by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) and 8-oxoguanine immunohistochemistry. Western blotting of freshly isolated AEC2 lysates for stress signaling kinases confirmed that the stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK)/c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) stress response pathway is stimulated in telomerase-null AEC2 even under normoxic conditions. Expression of downstream apoptotic/stress markers, including caspase-3, caspase-6, Bax, and HSP-25, was also observed in telomerase-null, but not wild-type, AEC2. TUNEL analysis of freshly isolated normoxic AEC2 showed that DNA strand breaks, essentially absent in wild-type cells, increased with each successive terc-/- generation and correlated strongly with telomere length (R(2) = 0.9631). Thus lung alveolar integrity, particularly in the distal epithelial compartment, depends on proper telomere maintenance.
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PMID:Lung alveolar integrity is compromised by telomere shortening in telomerase-null mice. 1895 56

We have previously reported that addition of prefibrillar aggregates (PFAs) derived from W7FW14F apomyoglobin mutant to NIH-3T3 cells affects their viability. In this article, we have found that cytotoxicity induced by PFAs in NIH 3T3 and SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells was due to early activation of apoptotic cell death dependent from a caspase-3- and -9-mediated mitochondrial pathway. A time-dependent increase of intracellular ROS and an about twofold decrease of mitochondrial localization of scavenger protein MnSOD was found. The use of the anti-oxidant agent N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) antagonized both the increase of intracellular ROS and apoptosis induced by PFAs. PFAs caused an about 60% increase of the activity of both Ras and Erk-1/2 at 30 and 45 min while they were restored to basal levels at later time points. This effect was paralleled by a time-dependent decrease of the activity of the survival enzyme Akt. Effects similar to those on Ras activity were also recorded on the activity of the stress involved small GTP binding protein Rac that was about 75% increased after 30 min but resumed to basal levels at later time points. This effect was paralleled by a time-dependent activation of p38 kinase activity and HSP-70 expression. The use of both the ras farnesyltransferase inhibitor tipifarnib and the Rac geranyl-geranyltransferase GGTI-298, but not of the MEK-1 inhibitor U0126 partially antagonized the effects of PFAs on apoptosis occurrence. On the other hand, the PI3K/Akt inhibitor LY 294002 potentiated apoptosis induced by PFAs. Our results indicate a role for Ras and Rac in the induction of both intracellular ROS increased levels and apoptosis mediated by PFAs and disclose a new scenario of intervention in neurodegenerative diseases.
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PMID:W7FW14F apomyoglobin amyloid aggregates-mediated apoptosis is due to oxidative stress and AKT inactivation caused by Ras and Rac. 1958 24

To assess the dependence on age of the expression of apoptosis regulatory proteins in the human semitendinosus muscle, we measured the expression levels of several apoptosis-related genes, including apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3 and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), using RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and TUNEL assays. We found that the DNA fragmentation was proportional to the age of the tissues sample donors. The expression levels of AIF were significantly elevated (by 10 to 25%) in semitendinosus tissue samples from older individuals, but the Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3 and HSP 70 levels remained almost constant. This data suggests that the morphological and functional changes observed in aged human semitendinosus muscle correlates with the apoptosis of muscle cells through the induction of AIF.
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PMID:The age-dependent induction of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) in the human semitendinosus skeletal muscle. 1968 11

PURPOSE. Retinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury damages retinal neurons. Carbon monoxide (CO) recently attracted attention as cytoprotective because of its anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic effects. Rapid preconditioning of retinal neurons by inhaled CO before I/R injury may reduce inflammation and apoptosis in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). METHODS. I/R injury was performed on the left eyes of rats (n = 8) with or without inhaled CO preconditioning (250 ppm) for 1 hour before ischemia. Densities of fluorogold-prelabeled RGCs were analyzed 7 days after injury in whole-mounts. Retinal tissue was further harvested to analyze protein expression of TNF-alpha, HSP-70, and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pERK1/2 and p-p38. DNA-binding activities of the transcription factors NF-kappaB, AP-1, CREB, and HSF-1 were determined to elucidate a possible pathway of neuroprotection. RESULTS. Seven days after I/R injury, RGC death decreased by 52% in the CO preconditioning group compared with controls receiving room air (P < 0.001). Similarly, CO inhalation resulted in attenuated caspase-3 activity and TNF-alpha protein expression. In contrast, HSP-70 protein expression was elevated in the retina after CO. CREB and HSF-1 showed CO-dependent regulation and p-p38 MAPK. CONCLUSIONS. Rapid preconditioning with CO mediates anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic effects in retinal I/R injury, thus making it neuroprotective. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether CO posttreatment may represent a therapeutic option counteracting ischemic neuronal injury.
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PMID:Preconditioning with inhalative carbon monoxide protects rat retinal ganglion cells from ischemia/reperfusion injury. 2018 36

A lethal cardiotoxic-cytotoxic protein (mol. wt. 6.76 kDa) has been purified from the Indian monocellate cobra (Naja kaouthia) venom by ion-exchange chromatography and HPLC. CD spectra indicated the presence of 23% alpha helix, 19% beta sheets and 35% coil. Complete amino acid sequence was determined by MALDI, which showed similar homology with cardiotoxins/cytotoxins isolated from venom of other Naja species. Intraperitoneal LD(50) was 2.5 mg kg(-1) in BalbC male mice. In vitro cardiotoxicity studies on isolated guinea pig auricle showed that the molecule produced auricular blockade that was abolished after trypsin treatment. Cytotoxicity studies on human leukemic U937 and K562 cells showed that it significantly inhibited cell proliferation in a dose and time dependent manner, as observed by trypan blue exclusion method and tetrazolium bromide reduction assay. IC(5)(0) on U937 and K562 cells were 3.5 microg/ml and 1.1 microg/ml respectively. Morphometry and cell sorting studies indicated apoptosis induction in toxin treated leukemic cells. Apoptosis was caspase 3 and 9 dependent and the treated leukemic cells were arrested in sub-G1 stage. There was an increase in Bax-Bcl2 ratio, decrease in HSP (Heat shock protein) 70 and HSP90 and induction of PARP cleavage after NK-CT1 treatment. The toxin showed low cytotoxic effect on normal human leukocytes as compared with imatinib mesylate. Further detailed cytotoxic and cardiotoxic effects at the molecular level are in progress.
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PMID:A lethal cardiotoxic-cytotoxic protein from the Indian monocellate cobra (Naja kaouthia) venom. 2059 38

Tolerance to the chronic administration of opioids such as morphine reduces the utility of these drugs in pain management. Despite significant investigation, the precise cellular mechanisms underlying opioid tolerance and dependence remain elusive. It has been indicated that tolerance to the analgesic effect of morphine is associated with apoptosis in the central nervous system. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of minocycline (a second-generation tetracycline) on morphine-induced apoptosis in the cerebral cortex and lumbar spinal cord of rats after morphine-induced tolerance. Different groups of rats received either morphine (ip) and distilled water (icv) or morphine and different doses of minocycline (icv) or minocycline alone once per day. The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method was used to analyze apoptosis. The anti-apoptotic factors, Bcl-2 and HSP 70 and the pro-apoptotic element caspase-3 were evaluated by immunoblotting. The results indicated that minocycline attenuated the number of apoptotic cells in both the cerebral cortex and lumbar spinal cord. Immunoblotting findings showed that the amounts of anti-apoptotic agents (Bcl-2 and HSP 70) were greater in the treatment groups than in the controls in both regions. Although minocycline did not change the level of caspase-3 at the doses used with morphine but the minocycline treated rats showed a significantly lower increase in caspase-3 activity than did in the control. In conclusion, minocycline decreased the number of TUNEL-positive cells and increased the amount of anti-apoptotic factors (Bcl-2 and HSP 70), but did not change the caspase-3 content.
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PMID:Minocycline prevents morphine-induced apoptosis in rat cerebral cortex and lumbar spinal cord: a possible mechanism for attenuating morphine tolerance. 2071 99


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