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)

The effects of the nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB inhibitor, dehydroxymethylepoxyquinomicin (DHMEQ), combined with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha were evaluated in PK-8 pancreatic cancer cells. NF-kappaB was activated by TNF-alpha; however, the administration of DHMEQ abrogated its transcriptional activity. The addition of DHMEQ to TNF-alpha markedly induced apoptosis in PK-8 cells with down-regulation of anti-apoptotic c-FLIP and survivin. Combined treatment significantly suppressed cell viability in vitro, and the anti-tumor effect of DHMEQ was also significant in vivo. We investigated the apoptosis signaling pathway involved in these cell killing effects. Truncated Bid was produced by activated caspase-8, and the subsequent depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential (Delta Psi m) peaked at 6 h. Then, the activity of caspase-3 was up-regulated 8-fold. Z-VAD-fmk (a pan-caspase inhibitor) perfectly inhibited the up-regulation of caspase-3 but failed to reverse the cell viability. The above findings indicated that the growth inhibitory effect of combined treatment largely depended on mitochondria-associated caspase-independent apoptosis. The intracellular behavior of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) following depolarization of Delta Psi m suggested that AIF executed such a caspase-independent apoptosis. Interestingly, caspase-dependent apoptosis appeared within 6 h, whereas the caspase-independent apoptosis lagged. Thus, the addition of DHMEQ to TNF-alpha was capable of inducing caspase-independent apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. Once caspase-independent apoptosis was induced, the apoptosis demonstrated powerful cytotoxicity. Therefore, DHMEQ in combination with TNF-alpha may be a promising treatment for pancreatic cancer.
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PMID:Enhancement of the caspase-independent apoptotic sensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells by DHMEQ, an NF-kappaB inhibitor. 1621 Dec 19

We have previously shown that hepatocytes exposed to hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope proteins undergo apoptosis. In this article, we further elucidate the signaling mechanisms that mediate this effect. We found that, in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells, HCV E2 protein and HIV glycoprotein (gp) 120 significantly up-regulated the Fas ligand (FasL) and enhanced the formation of the Fas death-inducing signaling complex downstream of Fas receptor activation. Moreover, after stimulation with HCV E2 and HIV gp120, enhanced expression of caspases 2 and 7 and increased caspase 3 activity were observed. In addition, we showed up-regulation of the proapoptotic molecule Bid and its association with caspase 8 after treatment with these envelope proteins. We also found that HCV E2 and HIV gp120 induced a partial translocation of Bid to the mitochondria, which resulted in the release of cytochrome C and the apoptosis-inducing factor. Thus, the results of this study suggest that FasL and Bid play an important role in HCV and HIV envelope protein-induced apoptosis.
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PMID:Molecular mechanism of hepatic injury in coinfection with hepatitis C virus and HIV. 1626 11

There is a worldwide increasing concern over the neurological risks of thimerosal (ethylmercury thiosalicylate) which is an organic mercury compound that is commonly used as an antimicrobial preservative. In this study, we show that thimerosal, at nanomolar concentrations, induces neuronal cell death through the mitochondrial pathway. Thimerosal, in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, decreased cell viability as assessed by calcein-ethidium staining and caused apoptosis detected by Hoechst 33258 dye. Thimerosal-induced apoptosis was associated with depolarization of mitochondrial membrane, generation of reactive oxygen species, and release of cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) from mitochondria to cytosol. Although thimerosal did not affect cellular expression of Bax at the protein level, we observed translocation of Bax from cytosol to mitochondria. Finally, caspase-9 and caspase-3 were activated in the absence of caspase-8 activation. Our data suggest that thimerosal causes apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells by changing the mitochondrial microenvironment.
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PMID:Thimerosal induces neuronal cell apoptosis by causing cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor release from mitochondria. 1627 74

On treatment with 7-ketocholesterol (7-keto) or 7beta-hydroxycholesterol (7beta-OH), which are major oxysterols in atherosclerotic plaques, the simultaneous identification of oncotic and apoptotic cells suggests that these compounds activate different metabolic pathways leading to various modes of cell death. With U937, MCF-7 (caspase-3 deficient), MCF-7/c3 cells (stably transfected with caspase-3), we demonstrate that caspase-3 is essential for caspase-9, -7, -8 activation, for Bid degradation mediating mitochondrial cytochrome c release, for cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and inhibitor of the caspase-activated deoxyribonuclease, and, at least in part, for internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. The crucial role of caspase-3 was supported by the use of z-VAD-fmk and z-DEVD-fmk, which abolished apoptosis and the associated events. However, inactivation or lack of caspase-3 did not inhibit 7-keto- and 7beta-OH-induced cell death characterized by staining with propidium iodide, loss of mitochondrial potential. The mitochondrial release of apoptosis-inducing factor and endonuclease G was independent of the caspase-3 status, which conversely played major roles in the morphological aspects of dead cells. We conclude that caspase-3 is essential to trigger 7-keto- and 7beta-OH-induced apoptosis, that these oxysterols simultaneously activate caspase-3-dependent and/or -independent modes of cell death.
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PMID:Activation of caspase-3-dependent and -independent pathways during 7-ketocholesterol- and 7beta-hydroxycholesterol-induced cell death: a morphological and biochemical study. 1629 54

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with endogenous protoporphyrin IX derived from 5-aminolevulinic acid or its derivatives has been established for treatments of several premalignancies and malignancies; however, the mechanism of the modality is not fully elucidated. The mitochondrial permeability transition pore consists mainly of the mitochondrial outer membrane voltage-dependent anion channel and the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) and the mitochondrial inner membrane adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT). These mitochondrial proteins are responsible for the permeability transition that leads to apoptosis. In the present study, the human leukemia cell line, Reh, was treated with PDT using hexaminolevulinate (HAL). More than 80% of apoptotic Reh cells were found after HAL-mediated PDT (HAL-PDT) with high-molecular-weight (50 kbp) DNA fragmentation. Addition of PK11195 or Ro5-4864, two ligands of PBR, during HAL-PDT significantly inhibited the apoptotic effect. Bongkrekic acid, a ligand for ANT, also reduced the PDT effect. Although the mitochondrial transmembrane potential collapsed, neither cytosolic translocation of mitochondrial cytochrome c nor activation of caspase-9, caspase-8, caspase-3, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase were found. However, nuclear translocation of mitochondrial apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) was shown by both immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry. Because AIF is the sole one among all proapoptotic factors involved in caspase-dependent and caspase-independent pathways that induces the high-molecular-weight DNA fragmentation, we conclude that HAL-PDT specifically targets PBR, leading to apoptosis of the Reh cells through nuclear translocation of mitochondrial AIF. This study suggests PBR as a possible novel therapeutic target for HAL-based PDT of cancer.
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PMID:Targeting PBR by hexaminolevulinate-mediated photodynamic therapy induces apoptosis through translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor in human leukemia cells. 1632 55

Apoptosis is a tightly controlled multistep mechanism of cell death, and mitochondria are considered to play a central role in this process. Mitochondria initiate two distinct apoptosis pathways, one caspase-dependent and the other caspase-independent. In addition, mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) seems to play a role in cell death. Most chemotherapeutic agents induce apoptosis through at least one of these pathways. The post-initiation mechanisms of gold(III) porphyrin 1a were investigated in this study. HONE1 cells exposed to gold(III) porphyrin 1a underwent apoptosis after 24 hours. Functional proteomic studies revealed the alteration of several cytoplasmic protein expressions in HONE1 cells after treatment with the drug. These proteins include enzymes participating in energy production and proteins involved in cellular redox balance. There was a quick attenuation of mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)) with the alterations of Bcl-2 family proteins, the release of cytochrome c, and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) following gold(III) porphyrin 1a treatment. Cytochrome c in turn activated caspase-9 and caspase-3. Cotreatment with caspase inhibitor (zVAD-fmk) showed that the activated caspases worked in conjunction with AIF-initiated apoptosis pathways. Further study showed that ROS played a part in gold(III) porphyrin 1a-induced apoptosis by regulating DeltaPsi(m). In summary, gold(III) porphyrin 1a induced apoptosis through both caspase-dependent and caspase-independent mitochondrial pathways, and intracellular oxidation affected gold(III) porphyrin 1a-induced apoptosis. These results support a role for gold(III) porphyrin 1a as a promising anticancer drug lead and as a possible novel therapeutic agent directed toward the mitochondria.
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PMID:GoldIII porphyrin 1a induced apoptosis by mitochondrial death pathways related to reactive oxygen species. 1635 65

PKC inhibitor safingol suppressed the growth of human oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cells significantly at concentrations that inhibit PKC isoforms. Safingol inhibited the translocation of PKC following treatment with 12-o-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) in PKC alpha-EGFP-transfected cells, but not in PKC beta-EGFP- transfected cells, indicating selective inhibition for PKC alpha in oral SCC cells. Flow cytometric analysis and DNA analysis by agarose gel electrophoresis revealed an increase in the proportion of sub-G(1) cells and DNA fragmentation in safingol-treated cells. Mitochondrial membrane potential was decreased, and cytochrome c was released from mitochondria. However, the safingol-induced cell death was not accompanied by activation of caspase 3 and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). The broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor BD-fmk failed to prevent safingol-induced cell death. Another apoptogenic factor endonuclease G, but not apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), was also released from mitochondria and translocated to the nucleus. These results suggest that PKC alpha inhibitor safingol induces an endonuclease G- mediated apoptosis in a caspase-independent manner.
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PMID:Induction of endonuclease G-mediated apopotosis in human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells by protein kinase C inhibitor safingol. 1637 40

Mitochondria play a central role in the initiation of apoptosis, which is regulated by various factors such as ATP synthesis, reactive oxygen species, redox status, and outer membrane permeabilization. Disruption of chicken thioredoxin 2 (Trx2), a mitochondrial redox-regulating protein, results in apoptosis in DT40 cells. To investigate the mechanism of this apoptosis, we prepared transfectants expressing control (DT40-TRX2-/-), human thioredoxin 2 (TRX2) (DT40-hTRX2), or redox-inactive TRX2 (DT40-hTRX2CS) in conditional Trx2-deficient DT40 cells containing a tetracycline-repressible Trx2 gene. Production of ATP was not significantly changed by down-regulation of Trx2 expression. The generation of reactive oxygen species was enhanced by the down-regulation of Trx2 expression in DT40-TRX2-/-. Unexpectedly, the change was blocked in both DT40-hTRX2 and DT40-hTRX2CS cells. The down-regulation of Trx2 expression caused the release of cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor on day 3, and apoptosis on day 5. These changes were also suppressed in both DT40-hTRX2 and DT40-hTRX2CS cells, suggesting that TRX2 regulates mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization and apoptosis by redox-active site cysteine-independent mechanisms. The down-regulation of Trx2 expression caused a decrease in the protein level of Bcl-xL on day 3, whereas the protein level of Bcl-2 did not change until day 4, and the mRNA level of Bcl-xL was unchanged. The decrease in Bcl-xL was not blocked by a caspase 3 inhibitor but blocked in both DT40-hTRX2 and DT40-hTRX2CS. These findings indicate a link between the redox active site cysteine-independent action of TRX2 and the level of Bcl-xL in the regulation of apoptosis.
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PMID:Control of mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization and Bcl-xL levels by thioredoxin 2 in DT40 cells. 1640 24

Sex-related brain injury was evaluated after unilateral hypoxia-ischaemia (HI) in C57/BL6 mice on postnatal day (P) 5, 9, 21 or 60, corresponding developmentally to premature, term, juvenile and adult human brains. There was no sex difference in brain injury when the insult was severe, as evaluated by pathological scoring or tissue loss, but when the insult was moderate, adult (P60) females displayed less injury. In the immature (P9) male brains, neurones displayed a more pronounced translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) (loss of AIF from the mitochondrial fraction and increase in nuclear AIF) after HI, whereas the female brain neurones displayed a stronger activation of caspase 3 (more pronounced loss of pro-caspase 3, increase in cleaved caspase 3 and increase in caspase 3 enzymatic activity). Two other mechanisms of injury, peroxynitrite-induced formation of nitrotyrosine and autophagy, were no different between males and females at P9. These data show that the CNS is more resistant to HI in adult females compared with males, whereas no sex differences were found in the extent of injury in neonatal mice. However, critical sex-dependent differences were demonstrated in vivo with regard to cellular, apoptosis-related mechanisms.
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PMID:Different apoptotic mechanisms are activated in male and female brains after neonatal hypoxia-ischaemia. 1641 92

The effectiveness of hypothermia in preventing ischemic brain damage depends on when it is started. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of temperature reduction during a hypoxic-ischemic (HI) insult on brain injury and signalling pathways of neuronal cell death and survival. Seven-day-old mice were subjected to left common carotid artery ligation and hypoxia (10% oxygen) at different temperatures (37, 36 or 34 degrees C) for 50 min. Brain injury at 7 days post-HI was significantly reduced from 67.4% at 37 degrees C to 31.6% at 36 degrees C and 10% at 34 degrees C, with no observable injury in the cortex of the 34 degrees C group. Cytochrome c release, caspase-3 activation and apoptosis-inducing factor translocation from mitochondria to nuclei were all significantly inhibited after intraischemic temperature reduction. Concurrently, the cell survival signalling pathway involving Akt was significantly sustained (the phosphorylated form of Akt was maintained) when the hypoxia temperature was decreased. These results indicate that intraischemic hypothermia diminished apoptosis through inhibition of both caspase-dependent and caspase-independent neuronal cell death pathways and promoted cell survival by inhibition of phosphorylated Akt dephosphorylation in the neonatal brain, thereby preventing neuronal cell death.
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PMID:Intraischemic mild hypothermia prevents neuronal cell death and tissue loss after neonatal cerebral hypoxia-ischemia. 1642 Apr 46


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