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)

Proteases of the caspase family, especially caspase-1 (ICE)(-like), caspase-3 (CPP32/Yama/apopain)(-like) and caspase-8 (MACH/FLICE/Mch5) proteases, are implicated in Fas (APO-1/CD95)-mediated apoptosis. Here, we show that the caspase-4 (TX/ICH-2/ICE(rel)II)(-like) protease, another member of the caspase family, is also involved in Fas-mediated apoptosis, based upon the observations: (i) caspase-4 is processed in response to an agonistic anti-Fas antibody treatment, (ii) overexpression of a mutant caspase-4 with active site mutations in both p20 and p10 subunits delays Fas-mediated apoptosis, (iii) microinjected anti-caspase-4 antibodies inhibit Fas-mediated apoptosis. Together with our observations that the mutant caspase-4 inhibits the Fas-mediated activation of caspase-3(-like) proteases and purified caspase-4 cleaves pro-caspase-3 to generate a subunit of active form, these results suggest that Fas-mediated apoptosis is driven by a caspase cascade in which the caspase-4(-like) protease transmits a death signal from caspase-8 to caspase-3(-like) proteases probably through directly cleaving pro-caspase-3(-like) proteases.
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PMID:Involvement of caspase-4(-like) protease in Fas-mediated apoptotic pathway. 923 63

We report the identification of the large subunit of the DNA replication factor, DSEB/RF-C140, as a new substrate for caspase-3 (CPP32/YAMA), or a very closely related protease activated during Fas-induced apoptosis in Jurkat T cells. DSEB/RF-C140 is a multifunctional DNA-binding protein with sequence homology to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). This similarity includes a consensus DEVD/G cleavage site for caspase-3. Cleavage of DSEB/RF-C140 is predicted to occurs between Asp706 and Gly707, generating 87-kDa and 53-kDa fragments. An antiserum raised against the amino-terminal domain of DSEB/RF-C140 detects a new 87-kDa protein in Jurkat T cells in which apoptosis is activated by a monoclonal antibody to Fas. This cleavage occurs shortly after PARP cleavage. In vitro translated DSEB/RF-C140 is specifically cleaved into the predicted fragments when incubated with a cytoplasmic extract from Fas antibody-treated cells. Proteolytic cleavage was prevented by substituting Asp706 by an alanine in the DEVD706/G caspase-3 cleavage site. The cleavage of DSEB/RF-C140 is prevented by iodoacetamide and the specific caspase-3 inhibitor, tetrapeptide aldehyde Ac-DEVD-CHO, but not by the specific ICE (interleukin-1-converting enzyme) inhibitors: CrmA and Ac-YVAD-CHO, indicating that the protease responsible for the cleavage of DSEB/RF-C140 during Fas-induced apoptosis in Jurkat cells is caspase-3, or a closely related protease. This conclusion is reinforced by the fact that recombinant caspase-3 but not caspase-1 reproduced the "in vivo" cleavage. Inasmuch as the cleavage of DSEB/RF-C140 separates its DNA binding from its association domain, required for replication complex formation, we propose that such a cleavage will impair DNA replication. Recent in vitro mutagenesis support this proposal (Uhlmann, F., Cai, J., Gibbs, E., O'Donnel, M., and Hurwitz, J. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 10058-10064).
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PMID:The large subunit of the DNA replication complex C (DSEB/RF-C140) cleaved and inactivated by caspase-3 (CPP32/YAMA) during Fas-induced apoptosis. 923 61

High-dose Ara-C (HIDAC) induces the cleavage and activity of caspase-3 (CPP32beta/Yama/apopain), resulting in the morphological and biochemical features of apoptosis. High levels of the antiapoptotic Bcl-x(L) or Bcl-2, relative to the proapoptotic Bax, have been shown to inhibit HIDAC-induced cleavage and activity of caspase-3 and apoptosis of the human acute myeloid leukemia HL-60 cells. In a previous report, we demonstrated this inhibition, using the control HL-60 (HL-60/neo) cells and their counterparts, HL-60/Bcl-x(L), which have enforced overexpression of Bcl-x(L) and a significantly lower ratio of free to bound Bax. Results of the present studies demonstrate that, in the initiation phase of apoptosis of HL-60/neo cells due to HIDAC (10 or 100 microM for 4 h), cytochrome c is released from the mitochondria to the cytosol, followed by the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (deltapsi m) and an increase in the reactive oxygen species; these events precede and trigger the cleavage and activity of caspase-3. These HIDAC-induced early mitochondrial and cytosolic perturbations, which represent the initiation phase of HIDAC-induced apoptosis, were inhibited in HL-60/Bcl-x(L) cells. HIDAC treatment for 4 h also modestly increased the intracellular levels of free Bax relative to Bax bound to Bcl-2 and Bcl-x(L) in HL-60/neo but not in HL-60/Bcl-x(L) cells. In HL-60/neo cells, HIDAC-induced progressive accumulation of cytochrome c in the cytosol, the decrease in deltapsi m, and the increase in reactive oxygen species were not inhibited by coculture with the tetrapeptide inhibitors of caspases that have been previously shown to inhibit Ara-C-induced cleavage and activity of caspase-3 and apoptosis. These findings indicate that Bcl-x(L) inhibits HIDAC-induced preapoptotic mitochondrial perturbations, which prevent the accumulation of cytochrome c in the cytosol, thereby preserving caspase-3 in the inactive zymogen state and checking the molecular cascade of apoptosis.
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PMID:Overexpression of Bcl-X(L) inhibits Ara-C-induced mitochondrial loss of cytochrome c and other perturbations that activate the molecular cascade of apoptosis. 924 35

Members of the CED-3/interleukin-1beta-converting enzyme (ICE) protease (caspase) family are synthesized as proforms, which are proteolytically cleaved and activated during apoptosis. We report here that caspase-2 (ICH-1/NEDD-2), a member of the ICE family, is activated during apoptosis by another ICE member, a caspase-3 (CPP32)-like protease(s). When cells are induced to undergo apoptosis, endogenous caspase-2 is first cleaved into three fragments of 32-33 kDa and 14 kDa, which are then further processed into 18- and 12-kDa active subunits. Up to 50 microM N-acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-aldehyde (DEVD-CHO), a caspase-3-preferred peptide inhibitor, inhibits caspase-2 activation and DNA fragmentation in vivo, but does not prevent loss of mitochondrial function, while higher concentrations of DEVD-CHO (>50 microM) inhibit both. In comparison, although the activity of caspase-3 is very sensitive to the inhibition of DEVD-CHO (<50 nM), inhibition of caspase-3 activation as marked by processing of the proform requires more than 100 microM DEVD-CHO. Our results suggest that the first cleavage of caspase-2 is accomplished by a caspase-3-like activity, and other ICE-like proteases less sensitive to DEVD-CHO may be responsible for activation of caspase-3 and loss of mitochondrial function.
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PMID:Activation of caspase-2 in apoptosis. 926 Nov 2

The human leukemia cell line, HL60 is very sensitive to various apoptotic stimuli and p53-null. The death-related cysteine proteases of the caspases family play a central role in the execution phase of apoptosis, and we recently reported the importance of serine protease activation in camptothecin-induced apoptotic endonuclease activation in HL60 cells. In the present study, we investigated the role of caspases (ICE/CED-3-related cysteine proteases) and serine proteases in cell death induced by the topoisomerase I inhibitor, camptothecin, in HL60 cells and in a cell-free system. We found that CPP32 is activated during camptothecin-induced apoptosis, and that N-benzyloxycarbony-Val-Ala-Asp (O-methyl) -fluoromethyketone (Z-VAD-fmk), a cell permeable caspase inhibitor blocks all features of apoptosis: morphological changes, cleavage of caspase 3 (CPP32/Yama/Apopain) and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, lamin B degradation and DNA fragmentation. However, Z-VAD-fmk and two other ICE/CED-3 inhibitors, YVAD-CHO and DEVD-CHO, were inactive in a cell-free system reconstituted from nuclei of untreated HL60 cells and cytosol from camptothecin-treated cells, suggesting that caspases are not required for endonuclease activation or lamin B cleavage in the cell-free system. By contrast, the serine protease inhibitors, 3,4-dichloroisocoumarin (DCI) and L-1-chloro-3-(4-tosylamido)-4-phenyl-2-butanone tosyl-L-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone (TPCK), abolished the apoptosis-associated biochemical changes induced by camptothecin both in whole cells and in a cell-free system. DCI also inhibited CPP32 cleavage. Taken together, these results suggest that in HL60 cells, both CPP32 and serine proteases are activated in camptothecin-induced apoptosis.
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PMID:Camptothecin-induced apoptosis in p53-null human leukemia HL60 cells and their isolated nuclei: effects of the protease inhibitors Z-VAD-fmk and dichloroisocoumarin suggest an involvement of both caspases and serine proteases. 926 76

Resistance to stress-induced apoptosis was examined in cells in which the expression of hsp70 was either constitutively elevated or inducible by a tetracycline-regulated transactivator. Heat-induced apoptosis was blocked in hsp70-expressing cells, and this was associated with reduced cleavage of the common death substrate protein poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Heat-induced cell death was correlated with the activation of the stress-activated protein kinase SAPK/JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase). Activation of SAPK/JNK was strongly inhibited in cells in which hsp70 was induced to a high level, indicating that hsp70 is able to block apoptosis by inhibiting signaling events upstream of SAPK/JNK activation. In contrast, SAPK/JNK activation was not inhibited by heat shock in cells with constitutively elevated levels of hsp70. Cells that constitutively overexpress hsp70 resist apoptosis induced by ceramide, a lipid signaling molecule that is generated by apoptosis-inducing treatments and is linked to SAPK/JNK activation. Similar to heat stress, resistance to ceramide-induced apoptosis occurs in spite of strong SAPK/JNK activation. Therefore, hsp70 is also able to inhibit apoptosis at some point downstream of SAPK/JNK activation. Since PARP cleavage is prevented in both cell lines, these results suggest that hsp70 is able to prevent the effector steps of apoptotic cell death. Processing of the CED-3-related protease caspase-3 (CPP32/Yama/apopain) is inhibited in hsp70-expressing cells; however, the activity of the mature enzyme is not affected by hsp70 in vitro. Caspase processing may represent a critical heat-sensitive target leading to cell death that is inhibited by the chaperoning function of hsp70. The inhibition of SAPK/JNK signaling and apoptotic protease effector steps by hsp70 likely contributes to the resistance to stress-induced apoptosis seen in transiently induced thermotolerance.
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PMID:Role of the human heat shock protein hsp70 in protection against stress-induced apoptosis. 927 9

HL-60 cells differentiating into neutrophil-like cells die an apoptotic death in vitro. Susceptibility to apoptosis is associated with decreased Bcl-2 protein and mRNA expression; however, the effect of differentiation on the expression of pro-apoptotic caspases is unknown. Spontaneous apoptosis occurred 6 days after retinoic acid treatment. Western blotting showed loss of Bcl-2 by day 7, and new expression of ICE (caspase 1) and CPP32 (caspase 3) protein by day 2. Northern analysis demonstrated loss of Bcl-2 mRNA and increases in ICE mRNA by day 2; CPP32 mRNA was unchanged. Differential Bcl-2 and ICE mRNA expression was also found when granulocytic differentiation was stimulated by DMSO. Differentiated HL-60 cell lysates exhibited functional ICE proteolytic activity. De novo caspase expression was responsible for the development of spontaneous apoptosis, since specific inhibitors of ICE (YVAD-CMK) and CPP32 (DEVD-CHO), inhibited retinoic acid induced spontaneous apoptosis. Functional maturation and susceptibility to apoptosis are both inducible and linked in this granulocyte precursor cell line.
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PMID:Granulocytic differentiation of HL-60 cells results in spontaneous apoptosis mediated by increased caspase expression. 927 75

The mdm2 oncogene encodes a 90-kDa protein that can bind to the p53 tumor suppressor protein and negatively regulate its functions in transcription, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis. The mdm2 gene is frequently amplified in human sarcomas, which may be responsible for the malignant transformations. We present evidence that the mdm2 oncoprotein is cleaved by an interleukin 1beta-converting enzyme-like protease (caspase) during p53-mediated apoptosis. The protease that cleaves mdm2 has a specificity similar to that of CPP32 (caspase-3), and recombinant caspase-3 is able to cleave mdm2 in vitro. The protease cleavage site has been mapped to between residue 361 and 362 of human mdm2. The proteolytic cleavage removes the COOH-terminal RING finger domain of mdm2, resulting in the loss of RNA binding activity. The p53 binding and inhibition functions of mdm2 are not affected by the cleavage. The cleavage site sequence of mdm2 is evolutionarily conserved, suggesting that regulation by caspase cleavage during apoptosis is an important feature of mdm2.
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PMID:Proteolytic cleavage of the mdm2 oncoprotein during apoptosis. 927 61

Hematopoietic cytokines transduce cell survival signals, which are distinct from the signals necessary for the stimulation of DNA synthesis. Recently, the Ras and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathways have been shown to play important roles in preventing apoptosis in various cell types, e.g. hematopoietic cells and neuronal cells. Withdrawal of cytokine(s), in turn, results in rapid inactivation of these survival pathways and eventually leads to cell death accompanied by the hallmarks of apoptosis. However, the mechanism of cell death caused by cytokine deprivation has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that caspase-3/CPP32, a member of the caspase/interleukin-1beta-converting enzyme family, is activated upon interleukin (IL)-3 deprivation in IL-3-dependent cells as well as IL-2 deprivation in IL-2-dependent cells. In addition, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, a cellular substrate for the caspase family proteases, was degraded into apoptotic fragments in both cell lines after cytokine removal. Furthermore, inhibition of a caspase family protease by synthetic peptides suppressed apoptotic death. These results indicate that the activation of a caspase-like protease(s) is required for the progression of apoptosis following cytokine deprivation. However, readdition of IL-3 did not restore the proliferative potential of the cells that survived in the presence of the peptide inhibitor after IL-3 depletion. Therefore, cellular commitment to apoptosis appears to precede the activation of a caspase-like protease(s).
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PMID:Requirement of the caspase-3/CPP32 protease cascade for apoptotic death following cytokine deprivation in hematopoietic cells. 928 12

Apoptotic signaling cascades converge in the activation of caspases (interleukin-1beta converting enzyme like proteases). Treatment of the human promyelocytic leukaemia cell line U937 with actinomycin D resulted in the activation of caspase-3 also known as CPP32. Protease activity was measured in cytosolic extracts by fluorometric analysis of the time-dependent cleavage of acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-aminomethylcoumarin (DEVD-AMC), a caspase-3 substrate. Caspase activity was inhibited by thiol modifying agents such as N-ethylmaleimide or iodoacetamide and NO donors such as S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), BF4NO, and spermine-NO. NO-mediated enzyme inhibition was fully reversible upon the addition of DTT (dithiothreitol). NO. itself was not primarily responsible for downregulation of caspase-3, as we found no correlation between rates of NO* release and the magnitude of enzyme inhibition. It is likely that S-nitrosation accounts for enzyme inhibition by various NO donors. SIN-1 and peroxynitrite were inhibitory as well. In this case, however, enzyme activity was not restored upon DTT addition, suggesting oxidation as an additional thiol modification mechanism. Our studies provide evidence that caspases are targeted by NO via S-nitrosation and oxidation of critical thiol groups.
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PMID:Inhibition of caspase-3 by S-nitrosation and oxidation caused by nitric oxide. 929 18


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