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)

A murine erythroleukemic cell line (1-2-3) which expresses only the temperature-sensitive mutant p53 gene (Ala-to-Val substitution at codon 135) was established. These cells showed typical characteristics of apoptosis, when they were cultured at 32 degrees C. In this process, p53 recovered the wild-type p53 function and the expression of the p21 (waf1/cip1/sdi1), cyclin G1 and gadd45 genes was increased. However, no significant changes were detected in the expression of the mdm2, bcl-2, bax, fas and fasl genes, suggesting the existence of other genes associated with apoptosis. Genes up-regulated by p53 were screened by the mRNA differential display method. One of the up-regulated genes was identified as the elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1 alpha) gene. EF-1 alpha is also a microtubule-severing protein. Upon the temperature-shift, the cells developed the morphology and the localization of alpha-tubulin similar to those of the cells treated with vincristine, a drug that affects microtubules. The microtubule-severing associated with up-regulation of EF-1 alpha by p53 may be a cause of the cell death. On the other hand, the function of cyclin G1 is not so clear despite the fact that 1-2-3 cells showed a significant increase of the cyclin G1 gene during the early stage of apoptosis. The yeast two-hybrid system was used to identify cyclin G1-associated proteins. One is a cytochrome c (Cyt c) oxidase subunit II (COXII). Cyclin G1 and COXII were co-immunoprecipitated from an extract of human osteosarcoma cell line that expressed high levels of cyclin G1. COX activity was also increased by temperature-shift in this cell line. The pattern of changes in COX activity was closely reflected by the expression of the cyclin G1 gene. Cyclin G1 and COXII associate physically with each other in vivo and that activation of COXII by binding to cyclin G1 upregulated by p53 may be associated with apoptosis. These two new pathways, p53-EF-1 alpha-microtubule-severing (-distortion of cytoskeleton) and p53-cyclin G1-COXII (-CytC, ATP-caspase-3 activation), may cooperate to induce apoptosis in this cell line.
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PMID:The mechanisms of death of an erythroleukemic cell line by p53: involvement of the microtubule and mitochondria. 1019 36

In cultured cerebrocortical neurons, mild excitotoxic insults or staurosporine result in apoptosis. We show here that N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated, but not staurosporine-mediated, apoptosis is preceded by depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential (Deltapsi(m)) and ATP loss. Both insults, however, release cytochrome c (Cyt c) into the cytoplasm. What prompts mitochondria to release Cyt c and the mechanism of release are as yet unknown. We examined the effect of inhibition of the adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT), a putative component of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore. Inhibition of the mitochondrial ANT with bongkrekic acid (BA) prevented NMDA receptor-mediated apoptosis of cerebrocortical neurons. Concomitantly, BA prevented Deltapsi(m) depolarization, promoted recovery of cellular ATP content, and blocked caspase-3 activation. However, in the presence of BA, Cyt c was still released. Because BA prevented NMDA-induced caspase-3 activation and apoptosis, the presence of Cyt c in the neuronal cytoplasm is not sufficient for the induction of caspase activity or apoptosis. In contrast to these findings, BA was ineffective in preventing staurosporine-induced activation of caspases or apoptosis. Additionally, staurosporine-induced, but not NMDA-induced, apoptosis was associated with activation of caspase-8. These results indicate that, in cerebrocortical cultures, excessive NMDA receptor activation precipitates neuronal apoptosis by means of mitochondrial dysfunction, whereas staurosporine utilizes a distinct pathway.
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PMID:Mitochondrial and extramitochondrial apoptotic signaling pathways in cerebrocortical neurons. 1081 98

Dibucaine, a local anesthetic, inhibited the growth of promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60) without inducing arrest of the cell cycle and differentiation to granulocytes. Typical DNA fragmentation and DNA ladder formation were induced in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The half-maximal concentration of dibucaine required to induce apoptosis was 100 microM. These effects were prevented completely by the pan-caspase inhibitor z-Val-Ala-Asp-(OMe)-fluoromethylketone (z-VAD-fmk), thereby implicating the cysteine aspartase (caspase) cascade in the process. Dibucaine activated various caspases, such as caspase-3, -6, -8, and -9 (-like) activities, but not caspase-1 (-like) activity, and induced mitochondrial membrane depolarization and the release of cytochrome c (Cyt.c) from mitochondria into the cytosol. Processing of pro-caspase-3, -8, and -9 by dibucaine was confirmed by western blot analysis. Bid, a death agonist member of the Bcl-2 family, was processed by caspases following exposure of cells to dibucaine. However, 100 microM dibucaine scarcely inhibited oxidative phosphorylation, but it induced membrane permeability transition in isolated rat liver mitochondria. Taken together, these data suggest that dibucaine induced apoptosis of HL-60 cells through activation of the caspase cascade in conjunction with Cyt.c release induced by a processed product of Bid and depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential.
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PMID:Mechanism of dibucaine-induced apoptosis in promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60). 1097 98

Selective induction of apoptosis in tumor cells is important for treating patients with cancer. Because oxidative stress plays an important role in the process of apoptosis, we studied the effect of alpha-tocopheryl succinate (VES) on the fate of cultured human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60). The presence of fairly low concentrations of VES inhibited the growth and DNA synthesis of HL-60 cells, and also induced their apoptosis via a mechanism that was inhibited by z-VAD-fluoromethylketone (z-VAD-fmk), an inhibitor of pan-caspases. VES activated various types of caspases, including caspase-3, 6, 8, and 9, but not caspase-1. VES triggered the reaction leading to the cleavage of Bid, a member of the death agonist Bcl-2 family, and released cytochrome c (Cyt.c) from the mitochondria into the cytosol by a z-VAD-fmk-inhibitable mechanism. VES transiently increased the intracellular calcium level [Ca2+]i and stimulated the release of Cyt.c in the presence of inorganic phosphate (Pi). However, high concentrations of VES (approximately 100 microM) hardly induced swelling of isolated mitochondria but depolarized the mitochondrial membrane potential by a cyclosporin A (CsA)-insensitive mechanism. These results indicate that VES-induced apoptosis of HL-60 cells might be caused by activation of the caspase cascade coupled with modulation of mitochondrial membrane function.
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PMID:Mechanism of alpha-tocopheryl succinate-induced apoptosis of promyelocytic leukemia cells. 1102 49

We previously reported that in addition to mitochondrial cytochrome c dependent activation, lysosomal cysteine proteases were also involved in the activation of caspase-3. In this study, we have separately obtained the lysosomal and mitochondrial caspase-3 activating factors in a crude mitochondrial fraction and characterized their ability to activate pro-caspase-3 in the in vitro assay system. When a rat liver crude mitochondrial fraction containing lysosomes (ML) was treated with a low concentration of digitonin, lysosomal factors were selectively released without the release of a mitochondrial factor (cytochrome c, Cyt.c). Treatment of ML with Ca(2+) in the presence of inorganic phosphate (P(i)), in contrast, released mitochondrial Cyt.c without the release of lysosomal factors. The obtained lysosomal and mitochondrial factors activated caspase-3 in different manners; caspase-3 activation by lysosomal and mitochondrial factors was specifically suppressed by E-64, a cysteine protease inhibitor, and caspase-9 inhibitor, respectively. Thus, the activation of caspase-3 by lysosomal factors was found to be distinct from the activation by mitochondrial Cyt.c dependent formation of the Apaf-1/caspase-9 complex. To further determine whether or not the activation of caspase-3 by lysosomal cysteine proteases is involved in cellular apoptosis, the effect of E-64-d, a cell-permeable inhibitor of cysteine protease, on 2,2'-azobis-(2-amidinopropane)dihydrochloride (AAPH)-induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells was investigated. As a result, DNA fragmentation induced by AAPH was found to be remarkably (up to 50%) reduced by pretreatment with E-64-d, indicating the participation of lysosomal cysteine proteases in AAPH-induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells.
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PMID:Activation of caspase-3 by lysosomal cysteine proteases and its role in 2,2'-azobis-(2-amidinopropane)dihydrochloride (AAPH)-induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells. 1113 55

Cadmium (Cd), a potent immunotoxic metal, induces apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. However, the mode of action remains unclear. We previously reported that Cd-induced apoptosis was partly dependent on mitochondria. In the present study, we investigated the involvement of caspase-9, which is the apex caspase in the mitochondoria-dependent apoptosis pathway, in Cd-induced apoptosis in human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells. A specific inhibitor of caspase-9, Z-LEHD-FMK, partly inhibited DNA fragmentation induced by Cd treatment in HL-60 cells. Moreover, treatment of HL-60 cells with Cd resulted in the appearance of Cytochrome c (Cyt c), a potent activator of caspase-9, in the cytosol at 3 h, which closely paralleled the activation of caspase-9. Caspase-9 is an initiator caspase that is a potent activator of downstream effector caspases such as caspase-3. Caspase-3 activation was subsequent to the Cyt c release at 6 h. DNA fragmentation, an index of induction of apoptosis, also appeared 6 h after Cd treatment. The effects were more pronounced at 9 h after Cd addition. A broad-specificity inhibitor of caspases, Z-Asp-CH(2)-DCB, inhibited caspase-3 activation and DNA fragmentation induced by Cd in a dose-dependent fashion. The results suggest that Cd-induced apoptosis is partly caused by caspase-9 activation triggered by Cyt c.
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PMID:Cadmium induces apoptosis partly via caspase-9 activation in HL-60 cells. 1175 88

Differentiating male germ cells express a testis-specific form of cytochrome c (Cyt c(T)) that is distinct from the cytochrome c expressed in somatic cells (Cyt c(S)). To examine the role of Cyt c(T) in germ cells, we generated mice null for Cyt c(T). Homozygous Cyt c(T)(-/-) pups were statistically underrepresented (21%) but developed normally and were fertile. However, spermatozoa isolated from the cauda epididymis of Cyt c(T)-null animals were less effective in fertilizing oocytes in vitro and contain reduced levels of ATP compared to wild-type sperm. Sperm from Cyt c(T)-null mice contained a greater number of immotile spermatozoa than did samples from control mice, i.e., 53.1% +/- 13.7% versus 33.2% +/- 10.3% (P < 0.0001) for vas deferens sperm and 40.1% +/- 9.6% versus 33.2% +/- 7.5% (P = 0.0104) for epididymal sperm. Cyt c(T)-null mice often exhibit early atrophy of the testes after 4 months of age, losing germ cells as a result of increased apoptosis. However, no difference in the activation of caspase-3, -8, or -9 was detected between the Cyt c(T)(-/-) testes and controls. Our data indicate that the Cyt c(T)-null testes undergo early atrophy equivalent to that which occurs during aging as a consequence of a reduction in oxidative phosphorylation.
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PMID:Testis-specific cytochrome c-null mice produce functional sperm but undergo early testicular atrophy. 1210 Dec 47

Amyloid beta peptide (Abeta) is a neurotoxic metabolic product of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Abeta is strongly implicated in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and can be formed intracellularly. In this study, we show that the addition of Abeta to isolated mouse brain mitochondria can directly induce cytochrome c (Cyt c) release and mitochondrial swelling, which were partially inhibited by cyclosporin A (CsA). These results suggest that the Abetaaccumulated intracellularly by APP processing might exert neurotoxicity by interacting with mitochondria and inducing mitochondrial swelling and release of Cyt c, which activates caspase-3 and finally can lead to apoptosis in neuronal cells and to neurodegeneration in AD.
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PMID:Amyloid beta peptide induces cytochrome C release from isolated mitochondria. 1239 6

Hydrogen peroxide is a well-known mediator of apoptosis. As a mechanism for H202-induced apoptosis, both a mitochondrial Cyt.c-dependent pathway and a lysosome-mediated pathway have been suggested. However, the relative roles of and the relation between these two pathways in H2O2-induced apoptosis remain to be discovered. In this study, to find the relative roles of the lysosomal and mitochondrial pathways, the effects of E-64-d, a cell-permeable inhibitor of lysosomal cysteine proteases, on apoptosis caused by H2O2 in HL-60 cells were investigated. It was found that the concentration of H2O2 strongly affected the inhibitory effect of E-64-d on the apoptosis in HL-60 cells: dose-dependent inhibition (up to 40%) of both DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 activation was observed when a high concentration of H2O2 (50 microM) was used to induce apoptosis, but no inhibitory effect was detected when a low concentration (10 microM) was used. Consistent with these observations, apparent lysosomal destabilization was observed only with 50 microM H2O2. The release of mitochondrial Cyt.c, in contrast, was observed at both 10 microM and 50 microM. These results indicated that the mitochondrial Cyt.c-mediated pathway predominates in the H202-induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells and the lysosomal mediated pathway is partially involved when high concentrations of H2O2 are used to induce apoptosis.
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PMID:Involvement of lysosomal cysteine proteases in hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells. 1240 Jun 85

It has been reported that inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase suppress cell proliferation and induce apoptosis. One inhibitor which induces apoptosis is mevastatin. However, the molecular mechanism of apoptosis induction is not well understood so the effects of mevastatin on various functions of HL-60 cells were investigated. We confirmed that mevastatin activated caspase-3 by release of cytochrome c (Cyt. c) from mitochondria through a membrane permeability transition mechanism and also induced typical fragmentation and ladder formation of DNA in HL-60 cells. These effects were inhibited by mevalonate, a metabolic intermediate of cholesterol biosynthesis. Mevalonate and geranylgeraniol (GGOH) inhibited DNA fragmentation whereas farnesol (FOH) did not. Mevastatin also induced cell differentiation to monocytic cells via a mevalonate inhibitable mechanism. Furthermore, mevastatin decreased the amount of an isoprenylated membrane bound Rap1 small GTPase concomitant with an increase in cytosolic Rap1 which occurred before apoptosis and differentiation. On the contrary, both mevastatin and geranylgeranylacetone (GGA), which competes with geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate, induced membrane depolarization of isolated mitochondria without swelling and Cyt. c release. These results suggest that mevastatin-induced apoptosis of HL-60 cells might be caused indirectly by activation of the caspase cascade through the modulation of mitochondrial functions and that some relationship between a certain small GTPase molecule, such as Rap1, and mevastatin-induced apoptosis may exist.
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PMID:Mevastatin, an inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, induces apoptosis, differentiation and Rap1 expression in HL-60 cells. 1240 72


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