Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound   Target Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound

---

Query: UNIPROT:P42574 (caspase-3)
45,978 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Two cysteine protease families (caspase and calpain) participate in apoptosis. Here we report that the endogenous calpain inhibitor calpastatin is fragmented by caspase(s) to various extents during early apoptosis in two cell types. In anti-fas or staurosporine-treated Jurkat T-cells, the high-molecular-weight form (HMW) of calpastatin (apparent Mr 110 K) was extensively degraded to immunoreactive fragments of Mr 75 K and 30 K In apoptotic SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells, HMW calpastatin was degraded to a major immunoreactive fragment of 75 K. In both cell types, fragmentation of HMW calpastatin was blocked by a caspase-specific inhibitor carbobenzoxy-Asp-CH2OC(O)-2,6-dichlorobenzene. In vitro translated HMW calpastatin was sensitive to proteolysis by recombinant caspase-1, -3, and -7. By contrast, in vitro translated LMW calpastatin (which lacks domains L and I) was cleaved into multiple fragments only by caspase-1 and was relatively resistant to caspase-3, -7, and other caspases tested. Consistently with that, purified erythroid LMW calpastatin was also highly susceptible to caspase-1 digestion. Recombinant human calpastatin spanning domain I through III (CAST(DI-III)) was found cleaved by caspase-1 at at least three sites, located in either the A or the C helix of domains I and III (ALDD137*L, LSSD203*F and ALAD404*S), while only a single site (ALDD137*L) was cleaved by caspase-3. These findings suggest that both HMW and LMW calpastatins are more vulnerable to caspase-1 than to caspase-3. Surprisingly, both erythroid LMW calpastatin and recombinant CAST(DI-III) fragmented by caspase-1 suffered only a less than twofold reduction of inhibitory activity toward calpain. We propose that the proteolysis of calpastatin in early apoptosis might have yet unidentified effects on the cross-talk between the two protease systems.
...
PMID:Caspase-mediated fragmentation of calpain inhibitor protein calpastatin during apoptosis. 970 9

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.
...
PMID:The mechanisms of death of an erythroleukemic cell line by p53: involvement of the microtubule and mitochondria. 1019 36

Neutrophils possess a very short lifespan, dying by apoptosis. HL-60 cells undergo apoptosis after neutrophil differentiation with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). We have found that the onset of apoptosis in neutrophil-differentiating HL-60 cells correlates with the achievement of an apoptosis-related gene expression pattern similar to that of peripheral blood mature neutrophils. Using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, cloning, and sequencing techniques, we have found that HL-60 cells express bak, bik, bax, bad, bcl-2, bcl-xL, bcl-w, bfl-1, fas, and caspases 1-4 and 7-10. After DMSO treatment, bak, bcl-w, bfl-1, fas, and caspases 1 and 9 were up-regulated, whereas bik, bcl-2, and caspases 2, 3, and 10 were down-regulated at different degrees, achieving mRNA expression levels that correlated with those detected in peripheral blood neutrophils. Caspase-2 mRNA and protein expression was drastically reduced after HL-60 cell differentiation, being absent in both HL-60-differentiated neutrophils and mature neutrophils, whereas caspase-3 and -10 mRNA and protein expression were diminished upon HL-60 cell differentiation until achieving the respective levels found in mature neutrophils. Bak and bfl-1 mRNA levels were largely increased during DMSO-induced differentiation of HL-60 cells, and these genes were the bcl-2 family members that were expressed most abundantly in mature neutrophils. Bcl-2 overexpression or caspase inhibition prevented differentiation-induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells, but not their differentiation capability. Neutrophil spontaneous apoptosis was also blocked by the caspase inhibitor z-Asp-2,6-dichlorobenzoyloxymethylketone. Peripheral blood neutrophils expressed bak, bad, bcl-w, bfl-1, fas, and caspases 1, 3, 4, and 7-10, but hardly expressed bcl-2, bcl-xL, bik, bax, and caspase-2. These results suggest that the above gene expression changes in neutrophil-differentiating HL-60 cells may play a role in the acquisition of the neutrophil apoptotic features.
...
PMID:Expression of genes involved in initiation, regulation, and execution of apoptosis in human neutrophils and during neutrophil differentiation of HL-60 cells. 1081 Oct 13

Growth factor deprivation-induced apoptosis plays an important role in several cellular systems. However, knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved are restricted to a few murine models or tumor cell lines. Therefore, we aimed studying signaling pathways leading to apoptosis in activated human peripheral T cells after IL-2 withdrawal. Lymphoblasts from patients with CD 95 (Fas/APO-1)-deficiency revealed that functional CD95 was not required to induce apoptosis after IL-2 withdrawal. Moreover, apoptosis induction in response to various cytotoxic stimuli was found to be mediated in the absence of functional CD95 but was affirmatorily influenced by IL-2 signaling. Immunoblots showed no downregulation of Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL and no upregulation of Bax, whereas decreased mitochondrial membrane potential was readily measurable 24 h after cytokine deprivation. Tetrapeptide inhibitors showed limited efficacy in preventing apoptosis whereas the caspase inhibitor zVAD-FMK potently blocked induction of apoptosis. Cleavage of different fluorogenic substrates revealed multiple caspase enzyme activities in lymphoblasts, which were not negatively affected by the fas mutation. Starting at 8 h after IL-2 withdrawal, upregulation of active caspase-3 but not of caspase-8 could be detected. Taken together, our data argue for molecular mechanisms of cytokine deprivation-induced apoptosis in activated human lymphocytes independent of CD95.
...
PMID:CD 95-independent mechanisms of IL-2 deprivation-induced apoptosis in activated human lymphocytes. 1082 77

Hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) from mice nullizygous at the Fanconi anemia (FA) group C locus and children with Fanconi anemia group C (FA-C) are hypersensitive to interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. This hypersensitivity results, in part, from the capacity of these cytokines to prime the fas pathway. Because fas-mediated programmed cell death in many cells involves sequential activation of specific caspases, we tested the hypothesis that programmed cell death in FA HPC involves the ordered activation of specific caspase molecules. Lysates from lymphoblasts treated with both agonistic anti-fas antibody and IFN-gamma contained activated caspase 3 family members (caspases 3, 6, and 7), as well as caspase 8, whereas activation of caspases 1, 2, 4, 9, and 10 was not detected. The apoptotic effects of fas agonists in IFN-gamma-treated human and murine FA-C cells were blocked when pretreated with inhibitors (ac-DEVD-cho, CP-DEVD-cho, Z-DEVD-FMK) of the caspase 3 protease. Inhibitors (ac-YVAD-cho, CP-YVAD-cho, Z-YVAD-FMK) of caspase 1 did not block apoptosis or caspase 3 activation. Treatment of FA cells with the fluoromethyl ketone tetrapeptide caspase 8 inhibitor (ac-IETD-FMK) did suppress caspase 3 activation. A 4-fold greater fraction of IFN-induced FA-C cells expressed caspase 3 than FA-C cells complemented by retroviral-mediated transfer of FANCC. Therefore fas-induced apoptosis in Fanconi anemia cells of the C type involves the activation of caspase 8, which controls activation of caspase 3 family members and one direct or indirect function of the FANCC protein is to suppress apoptotic responses to IFN-gamma upstream of caspase 3 activation. (Blood. 2000;96:4204-4211)
...
PMID:Interferon-gamma-induced apoptotic responses of Fanconi anemia group C hematopoietic progenitor cells involve caspase 8-dependent activation of caspase 3 family members. 1192 88

The apoptosis-defective lpr (fas) mutation in MRL mice causes the early onset of a lupus-like autoimmune disease with concomitant inflammation. In order to analyse the consequences of the impaired Fas-dependent apoptosis on inflammation, the susceptibility to apoptosis of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), obtained from MRL lpr/lpr mice, has been studied. Peritoneal PMN from lpr/lpr and control (+/+) mice were recruited with a mild inflammatory stimulus. The number of cells collected from the peritoneal cavity of young lpr/lpr mice was comparable to that obtained from age-matched control mice, indicating that PMN homeostasis is maintained regardless of the loss-of-function Fas mutation. Recruited neutrophils were exposed in culture to apoptosis-inducing stimuli. Treatment with agonist anti-Fas antibody increased apoptosis of +/+ PMN, but did not affect lpr/lpr PMN which do not express Fas on their surface. However, lpr/lpr PMN could undergo both spontaneous and stimulus-induced apoptosis in a fashion comparable to or higher than that of control +/+ mice. Analysis of mRNA expression revealed that lpr/lpr PMN have reduced expression of IL-18, whereas IL-1beta, IFNgamma, caspase 1 and caspase 3 are expressed at levels comparable to those of +/+ cells. However, caspase-3-like activity was higher in PMN from lpr/lpr mice than in +/+ cells, and correlated with enhanced apoptosis. It could be concluded that in young, uncompromised lpr/lpr mice, PMN homeostasis is still fully regulated through the involvement of Fas-independent, compensatory, apoptotic mechanisms. This could include an increased participation of caspase 3 in the apoptotic pathway, consequent to enhanced activation of the enzyme and to the decreased production of IL-18, which acts as a competitive caspase 3 substrate.
...
PMID:Neutrophil apoptosis in autoimmune Fas-defective MRL lpr/lpr mice. 1156 32

Natural killer T (NKT) cells, a unique subpopulation of T cells, coexpress markers also present on NK cells and recognize the major histocompatibility complex class I-like CD1d1 molecule. We studied the effect of an acute virus infection on NKT cells. Mice were infected with the nonhepatotropic Armstrong strain of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), and at various times postinfection, mononuclear cells from the liver, peritoneum, and spleen were isolated. It was found that within 2 to 3 days, there was a selective loss of NKT cells from the liver with an apparent rapid recovery within 8 to 14 days. There was no increase in peritoneal or splenic NKT cells, indicating that NKT cells did not traffic to these tissues. This loss of NKT cells was independent of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) and interleukin 12 (IL-12) production, but did occur in mice treated with poly(I-C), a classical inducer of IFN-alpha/beta. The reduction in NKT cells was CD28 and fas/fasL independent and occurred via apoptosis. It was not observed in LCMV-infected DNA fragmentation factor 45-deficient mice, and an increase in active caspase 3-specific staining was found in liver NKT cells from LCMV-infected and poly(I-C)-treated mice compared to uninfected wild-type mice. Interestingly, it was also found that liver NKT cells from LCMV-infected mice were themselves infected. These results suggest that the loss of NKT cells following an acute LCMV infection could be due to the induction of IFN-alpha/beta resulting in NKT-cell apoptosis and is important for the host's immune response to LCMV.
...
PMID:Selective loss of natural killer T cells by apoptosis following infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. 1160 16

We previously found that dibutyl phthalate (DBP) had a pharmacological activity in eliminating tumor cells and could be used as a purging agent in autologous bone marrow transplantation. In this study, we show that DBP can induce apoptosis in MO7e and U937 leukemia cell lines. Treatment of these cells with DBP up-regulates cellular activity of caspase-3/CPP32 and causes apoptosis rapidly as determined by cell viability and dUTP nick end labeling assay. Activation of caspase-3/CPP32 and cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase were determined in DBP-induced apoptosis of leukemia cells. However, DBP treatment did not induce the expression of fas. Two caspase inhibitors, z-VAD-fmk and N-acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-aldehyde partly blocked the cell death of MO7e cells induced by DBP. These results suggest that fas-independent activation of caspase-3 protease plays important roles in the purging effect of DBP on leukemia cells.
...
PMID:Purging effect of dibutyl phthalate on leukemia cells involves fas independent activation of caspase-3/CPP32 protease. 1221 87

1-beta-D-Arabinofuranosylcytosine (Ara-C), a DNA-damaging agent, severely inhibits fetal growth and has teratogenicity. Recently, we reported that Ara-C also causes placental growth retardation and increases placental apoptosis. The aim of the present study is to elucidate the mechanisms of placental injury induced by genotoxic stress and involvement of p53, which mediates apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest after DNA damage. We injected Ara-C into pregnant rats on Day 13 of gestation and examined the placentas from 1 to 48 h after the administration. Terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP end-labeling (TUNEL) revealed that the apoptosis of trophoblastic cells in the placental labyrinth zone increased from 3 h after the treatment and peaked at 6 h before returning to control levels at 48 h. An increase in cleaved caspase-3 immunoreactivity was also detected at 6 h. Proliferative activity as measured by immunohistochemistry for topoisomerase II alpha and by mitotic index significantly decreased after the treatment in the labyrinth zone. Immunoreactivity for p53 protein in the placental labyrinth zone was remarkably enhanced and peaked at 3 h after treatment, although no increase in p53 mRNA expression was detected with a reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction. Regarding p53 target genes, p21, cyclinG1, and fas mRNA levels increased significantly and peaked at around 9 h after the treatment. These results indicate that Ara-C would induce apoptosis and impair cell proliferation in the placental labyrinth zone, and p53 and its transcriptional target genes may play an important role in the pathogenesis of the Ara-C-induced placental toxicity.
...
PMID:Involvement of p53 in 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine-induced trophoblastic cell apoptosis and impaired proliferation in rat placenta. 1476 21

To detect a new and more effective way against apoptosis mouse lymphomatic cell line Yac-1 in which fas gene was expressed highly was used as a model for studying the effects of anti-Fas ribozyme on Fas-mediated apoptosis. A hammerhead ribozyme gene targeting the fas mRNA was synthesized and its in vitro transcription vector was constructed, which was transfected into Yac-1 cells using electroporation. Rz596 expression was detected using RT-PCR, and Fas expression in Yac-1 cells was detected using RT-PCR, Western blot and flow cytometry. After treated with anti-Fas antibody (JO2), Yac-1 cell viability was measured with MTT assay, caspase-3 proteolytic activity was detected, and cell apoptosis was measured according to annexin V apoptosis detecting kit. Anti-Fas ribozyme could cleave fas mRNA efficiently in vivo and in vitro. Fas expression in Yac-1 cells transfected with anti-Fas ribozyme was decreased remarkably and correlated with resistance to Fas-mediated apoptosis as determined by flow cytometry and caspase-3 proteolytic activity. Anti-Fas ribozyme was detected in cells transfected with pU6-RZ596 and pU6-dRZ596 and could remarkably decrease the Fas expression in Yac-1 cells, which made Yac-1 cells get rid of Fas-mediated apoptosis. Because of wide expression of fas in organs and tissues, our research was very useful for studying the inhibition of apoptosis of many organs and tissues in the future.
...
PMID:Inhibition of Fas-mediated apoptosis in Yac-1 cell via Anti-Fas ribozyme. 1520 4


1 2 3 4 5 Next >>

---