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)

Endothelial cell damage of glomeruli and kidney arterioles seems to play a pivotal role in several pathologic situations, such as Gram-negative sepsis, glomerulonephritis, and acute renal failure. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) have been identified as potent inducers of apoptotic cell death in bovine glomerular endothelial cells. Both agents elicited apoptotic DNA laddering within 12 to 24 h. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) was generally described as a protective factor for endothelial cells against radiation-, TNF-alpha-, and UV-light-induced programmed cell death. Therefore, whether bFGF also affects apoptosis of microvascular endothelial cells was questioned. Surprising was that simultaneous treatment of glomerular endothelial cells with bFGF and either LPS or TNF-alpha left LPS-induced death unaffected, whereas TNF-alpha-induced death induction was potentiated, amounting to 48.9+/-6.3% versus 22.4+/-4.3% DNA degradation with TNF-alpha alone. Comparably, acidic FGF also selectively potentiated TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis. In mechanistic terms, bFGF synergistically increased TNF-alpha-induced mitochondrial permeability transition, the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to the cytosol, and upregulation of the proapoptotic protein Bak and significantly enhanced activation of caspase-8 protease activity. In contrast, stress-activated protein kinase and nuclear factor kappaB activation, which represent primary signals of TNF/TNF receptor interaction, downregulation of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-x(L), and caspase-3-like protease activation, were unaffected. As bFGF did not affect LPS-induced apoptotic cell death, bFGF also left LPS-induced Bak upregulation and Bcl-x(L) downregulation unaffected. The results point to a selective bFGF-mediated enhancement of distinct proapoptotic pathways induced by TNF-alpha in glomerular endothelial cells.
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PMID:Basic fibroblast growth factor selectively enhances TNF-alpha-induced apoptotic cell death in glomerular endothelial cells: effects on apoptotic signaling pathways. 1109 43

Dimethylammonium salt of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (DMA-2,4-D) is a widely used herbicide that is considered moderately toxic. In the present study we found that DMA-2,4-D is able to cause apoptosis in peripheral blood lymphocytes of healthy individuals and Jurkat T cells. Apoptosis induced by DMA-2,4-D was dose and time dependent, independent of Fas, TNF receptor 1 or the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor, and involved disruption of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential and activation of caspase-9. ZVAD-FMK, a broad-spectrum inhibitor of caspases, blocked DMA-2,4-D-induced apoptosis completely. While an inhibitor of caspase-9, as well as caspase-9 and caspase-3 inhibitors in combination, strongly blocked DMA-2,4-D-induced apoptosis, an inhibitor of caspase-3 had a moderate inhibitory effect. Unlike Fas-mediated apoptosis, the initiator caspase, caspase-8, was not involved in DMA-2,4-D-induced apoptosis. Transfection of Jurkat cells with Bcl-2 prevented DMA-2,4-D-induced disruption of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential and led to a complete blockage of apoptosis. Our data indicate that DMA-2,4-D kills human lymphocytes by initiating apoptosis via a direct effect on mitochondria. The activation of caspases occurs downstream of mitochondrial damage, and the dysfunction of mitochondria appears to be sufficient for triggering all downstream events leading to apoptosis.
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PMID:Induction of apoptosis in human lymphocytes by the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. 1116 16

Previously we have shown decreased Fas-mediated apoptosis in cord blood lymphocyte subsets. In this study, we compared tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-induced apoptosis in T lymphocytes and their subsets between cord blood and peripheral blood from healthy young controls. The expression of TNF receptor I (TNFR-I) was assessed by flow cytometry and quantitative RT-PCR. The expression of adapter molecules TNF receptor-associated death domain (TRADD), Fas-associated death domain (FADD) and TNF-associated factor-2 (TRAF-2) and caspase 3 was analyzed by Western blotting. The activity of caspase 3 and caspase 8 was measured by colorimetric assay. The susceptibility of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells to TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis was measured by terminal deoxytidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) assay. Both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets from cord blood demonstrated decreased susceptibility to TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis that was associated with decreased activation of both caspase 8 and caspase 3 as compared to T cell subsets in peripheral blood. Furthermore, expression of TNFR-I, TRADD and caspase 3 was decreased in cord blood lymphocytes as compared to peripheral blood lymphocytes. The significance of these observations is discussed.
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PMID:TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis in neonatal lymphocytes: TNFRp55 expression and downstream pathways of apoptosis. 1119 4

D-Galactosamine (GalN)/lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced liver injury is an experimental model of fulminant hepatic failure in which tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) plays a pivotal role. We examined the effects of etoposide on GalN/LPS-induced fulminant hepatic failure. Mice were given an intraperitoneal dose of GalN (800 microg/g body weight)/LPS (100 ng/g body weight) with and without intraperitoneal etoposide (10 microg/g body weight) treatment. Liver injury was assessed biochemically and histologically. TNF-alpha levels in the serum, and apoptosis of hepatocytes and CPP32/caspase-3 in the liver, were determined. GalN/LPS treatment caused lethal liver injury in 87% of animals (13 of 15). The effect was associated with significant increases in TNF-alpha and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels in serum, the number of apoptotic hepatocytes, CPP32/caspase-3 activity, and TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) mRNA expression in the liver. Etoposide (10 microg/g body weight) was given 3 times (at 50, 26, and 4 hours before GalN/LPS administration). Treatment of GalN/LPS-treated mice with etoposide reduced apoptosis of hepatocytes, resulting in reduction of lethality (13% [2 of 15]), while another topoisomerase II inhibitor, IRCF-193, showed no significant effect. The antilethal effect of etoposide was also confirmed in GalN/TNF-alpha-induced fulminant hepatic failure. Etoposide treatment reduced CPP32/caspase-3 activity in the liver, although it did not alter the serum TNF-alpha levels or hepatic TNFR1 mRNA expressions. In addition, etoposide treatment enhanced the mRNA and protein expression of Bcl-xL, an antiapoptotic molecule in the liver. The present findings suggest that etoposide prevents endotoxin-induced lethal liver injury by up-regulation of Bcl-xL, and that etoposide could be useful for the treatment of TNF-alpha-mediated liver diseases.
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PMID:Etoposide prevents apoptosis in mouse liver with D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide-induced fulminant hepatic failure resulting in reduction of lethality. 1139 33

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) expression has been documented extensively in animal models of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the pathophysiological significance of TNF-alpha expression in the injured cord remains to be delineated. The TNF receptor (TNFR)-nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) signal transduction pathway is important for maintaining cell viability. NF-kappaB exerts anti-apoptotic effects via an endogenous caspase inhibitory system mediated by cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein 2 (c-IAP2). NF-kappaB transactivates c-IAP2 to inhibit caspase-3 activation. Progressive cell death, including morphological and biochemical features suggestive of apoptosis, has been noted after SCI. We explored the effects of TNFR1 or TNFR2 deletion on the apoptotic events downstream of NF-kappaB in relation to SCI pathology and functional recovery. Nuclear proteins from the injured cords of the TNFR1(-/-) mice had a reduced NF-kappaB binding activity compared with the wild-type controls. This decrease in NF-kappaB activation was accompanied by a reduction in c-IAP2 expression and an increase in the active form of caspase-3 protein. After SCI the TNFR1(-/-) mice had greater numbers of apoptotic cells, a larger lesion size, and worse functional recovery than wild-type mice. TNFR2-deficient mice had a similar, although not as pronounced, consequence as the TNFR1(-/-) mice. These findings support the argument that the TNFR-NF-kappaB pathway is beneficial for limiting apoptotic cell death after SCI and that a defective TNFR-NF-kappaB pathway results in a poorer neurological outcome. A worse functional outcome in TNFR(-/-) mice suggests that an endogenous apoptosis inhibitory mechanism mediated by TNFR activation, NF-kappaB, and c-IAP2 may be of pathophysiological importance.
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PMID:Tumor necrosis factor receptor deletion reduces nuclear factor-kappaB activation, cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein 2 expression, and functional recovery after traumatic spinal cord injury. 1151 51

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 Vpu is an integral membrane protein with a unique affinity for betaTrCP (TrCP), a key member of the SkpI-Cullin-F-box E3 ubiquitin ligase complex that is involved in the regulated degradation of cellular proteins, including IkappaB. Remarkably, Vpu is resistant to TrCP-mediated degradation and competitively inhibits TrCP-dependent degradation of IkappaB, resulting in the suppression of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB activity in Vpu-expressing cells. We now report that Vpu, through its interaction with TrCP, potently contributes to the induction of apoptosis in HIV-infected T cells. Vpu-induced apoptosis is specific and independent of other viral proteins. Mutation of a TrCP-binding motif in Vpu abolishes its apoptogenic property, demonstrating a close correlation between this property of Vpu and its ability to inhibit NF-kappaB activity. The involvement of NF-kappaB in Vpu-induced apoptosis is further supported by the finding that the levels of antiapoptotic factors Bcl-xL, A1/Bfl-1, and TNF receptor-associated factor (TRAF)1, all of which are expressed in an NF-kappaB-dependent manner, are reduced and, at the same time, levels of active caspase-3 are elevated. Thus, Vpu induces apoptosis through activation of the caspase pathway by way of inhibiting the NF-kappaB-dependent expression of antiapoptotic genes.
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PMID:The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 accessory protein Vpu induces apoptosis by suppressing the nuclear factor kappaB-dependent expression of antiapoptotic factors. 1169 95

O(2)-Vinyl 1-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (V-PYRRO/NO), a liver-selective nitric oxide (NO)-donating prodrug, is metabolized by hepatic enzymes to release NO within the liver. This study was undertaken to examine the effects of V-PYRRO/NO on D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide (GlaN/LPS)-induced liver injury in mice. Mice were given injections of V-PYRRO/NO (10 mg/kg, s.c. at 2-h intervals) before and after GlaN/LPS (700 mg/30 microg/kg, i.p.). V-PYRRO/NO administration dramatically reduced GlaN/LPS-induced hepatotoxicity, as evidenced by reduced serum alanine aminotransferase activity and improved pathology. To examine the mechanisms of the protection, cDNA microarray was performed to profile the gene expression pattern in livers of mice treated with GlaN/LPS, GlaN/LPS plus V-PYRRO/NO, or controls. V-PYRRO/NO administration greatly ameliorated GlaN/LPS-induced alterations in the expression of genes encoding the stress response, DNA damage/repair response, and drug-metabolizing enzymes in accordance with hepatoprotection. Gel shift assay and Western blot analysis supported microarray results, showing that V-PYRRO/NO suppressed GlaN/LPS-induced activation of nuclear factor-kappaB and GlaN/LPS-induced increases in caspase-1, caspase-8, tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1)-associated death domain, and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand. Immunohistochemical analysis further revealed that GlaN/LPS-induced activation of TNFR1, caspase-3, and hepatocellular apoptosis was ameliorated by V-PYRRO/NO treatment. GlaN/LPS-induced elevation of hepatic caspase-3 activity was diminished by V-PYRRO/NO treatment. In addition, V-PYRRO/NO alone suppressed the basal expression of genes encoding inducible NO synthase and TNF-alpha-related components, as revealed by mouse 1.2 array. In summary, this study demonstrates that the liver-selective NO donor, V-PYRRO/NO, is effective in blocking GlaN/LPS-induced hepatotoxicity in mice, and that this protection appears to involve, at least in part, the suppression of the TNF-alpha-mediated cell death pathways.
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PMID:O(2)-Vinyl 1-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate protection against D-galactosamine/endotoxin-induced hepatotoxicity in mice: genomic analysis using microarrays. 1175 92

Previous studies have shown that coexposure to marginally toxic concentrations of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA; 10 nM) and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor flavopiridol (FP; 100-200 nM) synergistically induces apoptosis in human myeloid leukemia cells U937 and HL-60 (i.e., >50% apoptotic at 24 h). Attempts have now been made to characterize the cell death pathway(s) involved in this phenomenon. In contrast to cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activation, which occur within 2.5 h of PMA/FP coexposure, caspase-8 activation and Bid cleavage appeared as later events. Such findings implicate the mitochondria-dependent pathway in the initial induction of apoptosis by PMA/FP. However, U937 cells ectopically expressing CrmA, dominant-negative caspase-8, or dominant-negative Fas-associated death domain that were highly resistant to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)/cycloheximide-induced lethality displayed significant, albeit incomplete, resistance to PMA/FP-induced apoptosis after 24 h. Furthermore, coadministration of TNF soluble receptor significantly attenuated PMA/FP-induced apoptosis in U937 (p < 0.02) and HL-60 (p < 0.03) cells at 24 h. PMA/FP coadministration also triggered substantial increases in TNFalpha mRNA and protein secretion compared with the effects of PMA administered alone. The protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide (1 microM) completely blocked PMA/FP-induced TNFalpha secretion in U937 cells and attenuated apoptosis. Taken together, these results suggest that coadministration of PMA with FP in myeloid leukemia cells initially triggers mitochondrial damage, an event followed by the PKC-dependent induction and release of TNFalpha, supporting a model in which the synergistic induction of leukemic cell apoptosis by this drug combination proceeds via both mitochondrial- and TNF receptor-related apoptotic pathways.
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PMID:Synergistic induction of apoptosis in human myeloid leukemia cells by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and flavopiridol proceeds via activation of both the intrinsic and tumor necrosis factor-mediated extrinsic cell death pathways. 1202 92

Signal transduction induced by tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family members and their receptors has been an intensive area of research for several years. The major impact of these studies has been the delineation of apoptotic and cell survival signaling pathways. These discoveries, coupled with major advances in the study of mammalian apoptotic machinery, constitute a promising blueprint of the molecular network governing the fate of all living cells. In this review, we concentrate on the fate of cells in the immune system, where regulation of cell death and cell survival is a frequent and important exercise. A small imbalance in favor of either fate can result in disastrous pathological outcomes, such as cancer, autoimmunity or immune deficiency. It is an insurmountable task to discuss all molecules reported in the literature that are implicated in lymphocyte death or survival. We have therefore focused on discoveries made by mouse gene targeting, as these studies provide the most physiologically relevant information on each molecule. We begin with a description of signaling channels initiated by TNF receptor type 1 engagement, which can lead to either cell survival or to cell death. The point of bifurcation of this pathway and the decision-making molecules FADD, TRAF2 and RIP are discussed. We then follow apoptotic and survival pathways from upstream to downstream, describing many important players involved in signal transduction. Molecules important for NF-kappaB and JNK/stress-activated protein kinase activation such as IKKbeta, NEMO, MAP3K and TRAF6 are discussed, as is the impact of BAFF and its receptors on B-cell survival. Mouse mutants that have helped to define the mammalian apoptosis execution machinery, including animals lacking Apaf-1, caspase-3 and caspase-9, are also described. We conclude with a brief analysis of the potential therapeutic options arising from this body of work.
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PMID:Signaling for survival and apoptosis in the immune system. 1211 Jan 44

The B subunit of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin (EtxB) is a potent immunomodulatory molecule capable of treating and preventing autoimmune disease. These properties result from its ability to bind to glycolipid receptors, principally G(M1) ganglioside, and modulate immune cell function. EtxB receptor binding causes B cell activation, modulates monocyte cytokine secretion and triggers apoptosis of CD8+ T cells. These wide-ranging effects suggest that B subunit receptor interaction triggers signaling events affecting cellular differentiation. We have investigated the processes by which EtxB induces CD8+ T cell apoptosis. We show that receptor interaction by EtxB activates caspase-3 in CD8+ but not in CD4+ T cells. Inhibition of caspase-3 blocks the apoptotic process. EtxB induces the activation of NF-kappaB in both CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. The findings that (i) SN50, a peptide inhibitor of NF-kappaB nuclear translocation, prevents caspase-3 activation and subsequent apoptosis, and (ii) CD8+CD4- thymocytes from transgenic mice expressing a dominant-negative form of the IkappaBalpha protein were markedly less susceptible to EtxB-induced apoptosis than cells from wild-type mice, indicate that NF-kappaB is important in the induction of the apoptotic pathway. Further investigations revealed that while caspase-8 activity is detected concomitant to caspase-3, caspase-9 activation, following mitochondrial cytochrome c release, is detectable later on. These observations are consistent with death receptor-mediated signaling, however, experiments using lpr/lpr and p55 TNFR -/- mice rule out the involvement of Fas and the p55 TNF receptor, respectively. The data therefore indicate that EtxB-mediated apoptosis occurs via a novel pathway involving NF-kappaB.
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PMID:CD8+ T cell apoptosis induced by Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin B subunit occurs via a novel pathway involving NF-kappaB-dependent caspase activation. 1211 57


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