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)

Shiga toxins have been shown to induce apoptosis in many cell types. However, Shiga toxin 1 (Stx1) induced only limited apoptosis of macrophage-like THP-1 cells in vitro. The mechanisms regulating macrophage death or survival following toxin challenge are unknown. Differentiated THP-1 cells expressed tumor necrosis factor receptors and membrane-associated tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and produced soluble TNF-alpha after exposure to Stx1. However, the cells were refractory to apoptosis induced by TNF-alpha, although the cytokine modestly increased apoptosis in the presence of Stx1. Despite the partial resistance of macrophage-like THP-1 cells to Stx1-mediated killing, treatment of these cells with Stx1 activated a broad array of caspases, disrupted the mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)), and released cytochrome c into the cytoplasm. The DeltaPsi(m) values were greatest in cells that had detached from plastic surfaces. Specific caspase inhibitors revealed that caspase-3, caspase-6, caspase-8, and caspase-9 were primarily involved in apoptosis induction. The antiapoptotic factors involved in macrophage survival following toxin challenge include inhibitors of apoptosis proteins and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein. NF-kappaB and JNK mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) appeared to activate survival pathways, while p38 MAPK was involved in proapoptotic signaling. The JNK and p38 MAPKs were shown to be upstream signaling pathways which may regulate caspase activation. Finally, the protein synthesis inhibitors Stx1 and anisomycin triggered limited apoptosis and prolonged JNK and p38 MAPK activation, while macrophage-like cells treated with cycloheximide remained viable and showed transient activation of MAPKs. Collectively, these data suggest that Stx1 activates both apoptotic and cell survival signaling pathways in macrophage-like THP-1 cells.
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PMID:Simultaneous induction of apoptotic and survival signaling pathways in macrophage-like THP-1 cells by Shiga toxin 1. 1719 4

Cell death is increased in the anterior pituitary of poorly controlled diabetic rats, but anti-apoptotic mechanisms are also activated. We hypothesized that specific cell types are selectively protected against diabetes-induced cell death. To determine when anti-apoptotic mechanisms are activated, streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were killed after 1, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of evolution. Anterior pituitaries were processed for western blot analysis to determine changes in the intrinsic cell death pathway and upstream kinases involved in cell protection mechanisms. An increase in cell death was detected by ELISA at 4 weeks of diabetes. TUNEL labelling demonstrated that this corresponded to death of primarily lactotrophs, a few somatotrophs, and no thyrotrophs, corticotrophs or gonadotrophs. Levels of phosphorylated (p) Akt were increased at 1 week of diabetes, while pERK1/2 levels increased at 4 weeks and pJNK at 6 weeks. Activation of caspase 3 decreased and anti-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 protein family increased as early as 1 week after diabetes onset. These changes were coincident with increased IGF-I receptor levels. Levels of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) increased significantly after 6 weeks of diabetes, as did activation of nuclear factor (NF)kappaB. Double immunohistochemistry indicated that XIAP was expressed in less than 1% of lactotrophs and gonadotrophs, approximately 50% of somatotrophs and more than 90% of corticotrophs and thyrotrophs. These results suggest that some cell survival mechanisms are rapidly activated in the anterior pituitary, even before increased cell death can be detected, while others are more delayed. Furthermore, both pituitary cell death and expression of protective mechanisms such as XIAP are cell-type specific.
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PMID:Cell-specific expression of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis in the anterior pituitary of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. 1721 Jul 59

Cooking oil fumes (COF) have been shown to be associated with lung cancer incidence in Chinese women. Our recent report indicates that inhibitor of apoptosis protein 2 (IAP2) induced by COF may contribute to the survival and proliferation of A549 lung cancer cells. In this study, to further verify whether other antiapoptosis proteins including IAP1, X-linked IAP (XIAP), and survivin, were linked with lung cancer cell survival and proliferation, these IAPs expressions in A549 cells after treatment with COF and its two major components, benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and 2,4-decadienal (2,4-DDE) were evaluated by Western blotting. Our data showed that IAP2 was significantly induced by COF, BaP, and 2,4-DDE, but XIAP was decreased by COF and 2,4-DDE, but not by BaP. Even though different effects of COF and 2,4-DDE on IAP2 and XIAP protein expressions were observed, the caspase-3 expression was diminished by COF and 2,4-DDE. In addition, induction of IAP2 and phosphorylated Akt proteins by COF and 2,4-DDE were simultaneously abolished by LY294002. Flow cytometry and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) analysis showed that the proportion of A549 cells at the S-phase was increased significantly after treatment with COF or 2,4-DDE. The cell proliferation induced by COF is associated with the attenuation of p21(Cip/Waf1) expression. Therefore, increases of IAP1, IAP2, survivin, and cyclin D1 expressions and decreases of XIAP, caspase-3, and p21 expressions might partly contribute to the survival and proliferation of lung cancer cells after exposure to 2,4-DDE and COF. In conclusion, the lung cancer cell growth promoted by COF might support previous epidemiological reports indicating that exposure of COF was associated with lung cancer development among Chinese women.
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PMID:Association of cooking oil fumes exposure with lung cancer: involvement of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins in cell survival and proliferation in vitro. 1722 88

X-linked IAP (XIAP) suppresses apoptosis by binding to initiator caspase-9 and effector caspases-3 and -7. Smac/DIABLO that is released from mitochondria during apoptosis can relieve its inhibitory activity. Here we investigated the role of XIAP in the previously found obstruction of chemotherapy-induced caspase-9 activation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Endogenously expressed XIAP bound active forms of both caspase-9 and caspase-3. However, downregulation of XIAP using shRNA or disruption of XIAP/caspase-9 interaction using a small molecule Smac mimic were unable to significantly induce caspase-9 activity, indicating that despite a strong binding potential of XIAP to caspase-9 it is not a major determinant in blocking caspase-9 in NSCLC cells. Although unable to revert caspase-9 blockage, the Smac mimic was able to enhance cisplatin-induced apoptosis, which was accompanied by increased caspase-3 activity. Additionally, a more detailed analysis of caspase activation in response to cisplatin indicated a reverse order of activation, whereby caspase-3 cleaved caspase-9 yielding an inactive form. Our findings indicate that the use of small molecule Smac mimic, when combined with an apoptotic trigger, may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of NSCLC.
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PMID:Role of XIAP in inhibiting cisplatin-induced caspase activation in non-small cell lung cancer cells: a small molecule Smac mimic sensitizes for chemotherapy-induced apoptosis by enhancing caspase-3 activation. 1729 93

Resistance to apoptosis is a hallmark of many solid tumors, including pancreatic cancers, and may be the underlying basis for the suboptimal response to chemoradiation therapies. Overexpression of a family of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAP) is commonly observed in pancreatic malignancies. We determined the therapeutic efficacy of recently described small-molecule antagonists of the X-linked IAP (XIAP) in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer. Primary pancreatic cancers were assessed for XIAP expression by immunohistochemistry, using a pancreatic cancer tissue microarray. XIAP small-molecule antagonists ("XAntag"; compounds 1396-11 and 1396-12) and the related compound 1396-28 were tested in vitro in a panel of human pancreatic cancer cell lines (Panc1, Capan1, and BxPC3) and in vivo in s.c. xenograft models for their ability to induce apoptosis and impede neoplastic growth. In addition, pancreatic cancer cell lines were treated with XAntags in conjunction with either tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) or with radiation to determine potential synergy for such dual targeting of the apoptotic machinery. XIAP was overexpressed in 14 of 18 (77%) of primary pancreatic cancers. The XAntags1396-11 and 1396-12, but not the inactive isomer 1396-28, induced profound apoptosis in multiple pancreatic cancer cell lines tested in vitro, with a IC(50) in the range of 2 to 5 mumol/L. Mechanistic specificity of the XAntags for the baculoviral IAP repeat-2 domain of XIAP was shown by preferential activation of downstream "effector" caspases (caspase-3 and caspase-7) versus the upstream "initiator" caspase-9. S.c. BxPC3 xenograft growth in athymic mice was significantly inhibited by monotherapy with XAntags; treated xenografts showed marked apoptosis and increased cleavage of caspase-3. Notably, striking synergy was demonstrable when XAntags were combined with either TRAIL or radiation therapy, as measured by growth inhibition in vitro and reduced colony formation in soft agar of pancreatic cancer cell lines, at dosages where these therapeutic modalities had minimal to modest effects when used alone. Finally, XAntags in combination with the standard-of-care agent for advanced pancreatic cancer, gemcitabine, resulted in significantly greater inhibition of in vitro growth than gemcitabine alone. Our results confirm that pharmacologic inhibition of XIAP is a potent therapeutic modality in pancreatic cancers. These antagonists are independently capable of inducing pancreatic cancer cell death and also show synergy when combined with proapoptotic ligands (TRAIL), with radiation, and with a conventional antimetabolite, gemcitabine. These preclinical results suggest that targeting of the apoptotic machinery in pancreatic cancers with XAntags is a promising therapeutic option that warrants further evaluation.
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PMID:Targeting the apoptotic machinery in pancreatic cancers using small-molecule antagonists of the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein. 1733 66

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) has been recognized as an activator of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB), a factor implicated in the protection of many cell types from apoptosis. We and others have presented evidence to suggest that Fas-induced apoptosis may be an important aspect of the resolution of inflammation, and that delayed resolution of inflammation may be directly associated with NF-kappaB-dependent resistance to Fas. Because TNF-alpha activates NF-kappaB in many cell types including inflammatory cells such as eosinophils, we examined effects of TNF-alpha signaling on the Fas-mediated killing of an eosinophilic cell line AML14. While agonist anti-Fas (CH11) treatment induced apoptosis in AML14 cells, no significant cell death occurred in response to TNF-alpha alone. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) revealed that TNF-alpha induced NF-kappaB transactivation in AML14 cells in a time- and dose-dependent fashion, and subsequent supershift assays indicated that the translocated NF-kappaB was the heterodimer p65 (RelA)/p50. Pre-treatment of cells with TNF-alpha dramatically decreased the CH11-induced cell death in a transient fashion, accompanied by suppression of activation of caspase-8 and caspase-3 activation. Inhibition of NF-kappaB transactivation by inhibitors, BAY 11-7085 and parthenolide, reversed the suppression of Fas-mediated apoptosis by TNF-alpha. Furthermore, TNF-alpha up-regulated X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) transiently and XIAP levels were correlated with the temporal pattern of TNF-alpha protection against Fas-mediated apoptosis. This finding suggested that TNF-alpha may contribute to the prolonged survival of inflammatory cells by suppression of Fas-mediated apoptosis, the process involved with NF-kappaB transactivation, anti-apoptotic XIAP up-regulation and caspase suppression.
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PMID:TNF-alpha induces transient resistance to Fas-induced apoptosis in eosinophilic acute myeloid leukemia cells. 1734 10

In general, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells are relatively resistant to tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-mediated apoptosis during culture in vitro. Here, we studied the role of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-K)/Akt in survival and apoptosis of these cells. The PI 3-K inhibitors wortmannin and LY294002 markedly suppressed phosphorylation of Akt and accelerated TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in OSCC cells. Addition of TRAIL to PI 3-K inhibitor-treated cells resulted in caspase-8 activation and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. Furthermore, inhibitors of caspase-3, -8 and -9 reduced the accelerative effect of PI 3-K inhibitors on TRAIL-mediated apoptosis. These results suggest that the pro-apoptotic effect of PI 3-K inhibitors on TRAIL-mediated apoptosis may contribute to both the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. Although PI 3-K inhibitors did not affect expression of the TRAIL receptors DR4 and DR5, we observed a marked reduction in expression of cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP), Bcl-2, cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein-1 (cIAP-1) and X-linked IAP (XIAP), whereas Bax was up-regulated and no significant difference was observed in expression of Bcl-xL, Bak or cIAP-2. Therefore, the PI 3-K/Akt signaling pathway provides partial regulation of TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in OSCC cells via modulation of c-FLIP, Bcl-2, Bax, cIAP-1 and XIAP expression. These results suggest that PI 3-K inhibitors may represent a novel strategy for overcoming resistance to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in OSCC cells.
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PMID:Enhanced susceptibility to tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand-mediated apoptosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma cells treated with phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors. 1739 18

Mutations in copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Mutant SOD1 protein likely gains a novel cytotoxic property, leading to the death of motor neurons. We therefore investigated whether caspase-mediated apoptosis is associated with novel cytotoxic properties in a rodent model for familial ALS (G93A SOD1 transgenic mice). Caspase-9 (an effecter in the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway), caspase-8 (an effecter in the Fas apoptotic pathway), and caspase-3 (an executioner of both pathways) proteins were all present in nonactive forms in the spinal cords of wild-type mice during the early stage of the disease (8 weeks), at which time the mice had not yet exhibited motor paralysis. In transgenic mice, however, these proteins were present in their active forms, and their mRNA levels were significantly upregulated in the represent to this conversion from nonactive to active forms. During the advanced stage of the disease (16 weeks), when paralysis was evident, the active caspase levels were further elevated. On the other hand, the mRNA and protein levels of survivin, a counteraction protein against caspases, were significantly suppressed during the early stage, and sharply increased during the advanced stage. Although the mRNA and protein levels of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) remained at the same levels as those seen in the control (wild-type mice) during the early stage, they were significantly depressed at an age of 16 weeks. These findings were observed exclusively in the spinal cord, the region responsible for the disease, and not in the cerebellum, a non-responsible region. We conclude that conditions facilitating the apoptotic process during the early stage of the disease play causative roles in the pathogenesis of ALS and that the suppression of XIAP levels during the advanced stage could contribute to disease expression and/or progression.
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PMID:Dysequilibrium between caspases and their inhibitors in a mouse model for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. 1739 13

Apoptosis plays a critical role in intestinal mucosal homeostasis. We previously showed that the bile salt taurodeoxycholate has a beneficial effect on the intestinal mucosa through an increase in resistance to apoptosis mediated by nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB. The current study further characterizes the effect of bile salts on intestinal epithelial cell susceptibility to apoptosis and determines if the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) regulates bile salt-induced resistance to apoptosis. Exposure of normal intestinal epithelial cells (IEC-6) to the conjugated bile salts taurodeoxycholate (TDCA) and taurochenodeoxycholate (TCDCA) resulted in an increase in resistance to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and cycloheximide (CHX)-induced apoptosis, and NF-kappaB activation. Treatment with TDCA and TCDCA resulted in an increase in XIAP expression. Specific inhibition of NF-kappaB by infection with an adenoviral vector that expresses the IkappaBalpha super-repressor (IkappaBSR) prevented the induction of XIAP expression and the bile salt-mediated resistance to apoptosis. Treatment with the specific XIAP inhibitor Smac also overcame this increase in enterocyte resistance to apoptosis. Bile salts inhibited formation of the active caspase-3 from its precursor procaspase-3. Smac prevented the inhibitory effect of bile salts on caspase-3 activation. These results indicate that bile salts increase intestinal epithelial cell resistance to apoptosis through NF-kappaB-mediated XIAP expression. Bile salt-induced XIAP mediates resistance to TNF-alpha/CHX-induced apoptosis, at least partially, through inhibition of caspase-3 activity. These data support an important beneficial role of bile salts in regulation of mucosal integrity. Decreased enterocyte exposure to luminal bile salts, as occurs during starvation and parenteral nutrition, may have a detrimental effect on mucosal integrity.
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PMID:Bile salts induce resistance to apoptosis through NF-kappaB-mediated XIAP expression. 1743 49

During apoptosis, the initiator caspase 9 is activated at the apoptosome after which it activates the executioner caspases 3 and 7 by proteolysis. During this process, caspase 9 is cleaved by caspase 3 at Asp(330), and it is often inferred that this proteolytic event represents a feedback amplification loop to accelerate apoptosis. However, there is substantial evidence that proteolysis per se does not activate caspase 9, so an alternative mechanism for amplification must be considered. Cleavage at Asp(330) removes a short peptide motif that allows caspase 9 to interact with IAPs (inhibitors of apoptotic proteases), and this event may control the amplification process. We show that, under physiologically relevant conditions, caspase 3, but not caspase 7, can cleave caspase 9, and this does not result in the activation of caspase 9. An IAP antagonist disrupts the inhibitory interaction between XIAP (X-linked IAP) and caspase 9, thereby enhancing activity. We demonstrate that the N-terminal peptide of caspase 9 exposed upon cleavage at Asp330 cannot bind XIAP, whereas the peptide generated by autolytic cleavage of caspase 9 at Asp315 binds XIAP with substantial affinity. Consistent with this, we found that XIAP antagonists were only capable of promoting the activity of caspase 9 when it was cleaved at Asp315, suggesting that only this form is regulated by XIAP. Our results demonstrate that cleavage by caspase 3 does not activate caspase 9, but enhances apoptosis by alleviating XIAP inhibition of the apical caspase.
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PMID:Caspase 3 attenuates XIAP (X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein)-mediated inhibition of caspase 9. 1755 1


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