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 phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway is often constitutively activated in malignant glioma cells, in many cases as a result of mutation of phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN), an endogenous inhibitor of Akt, which renders tumor cells resistant to cytotoxic insults, including those related to anticancer drugs. Pharmacological inhibition of this pathway may potentially restore or augment the effectiveness of conventional chemotherapy or other signaling-targeted agents. Because the heat shock protein (HSP) is involved in the conformational maturation of a number of signaling proteins critical to the proliferation of malignant glioma cells, we hypothesized that the combination of the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 and the HSP90 inhibitor 17-allyl-aminogeldanamycin (17-AAG) would promote glioma cytotoxicity by decreasing both the activation status and levels of Akt, as well as downregulating the levels of other relevant signaling effectors. We, therefore, examined the effects of LY294002 and 17-AAG, alone and in combination, on signal transduction and apoptosis in a series of malignant glioma cell lines. Simultaneous exposure to these inhibitors significantly induced cell death, and irreversibly inhibited proliferative activity and colony forming ability of the glioma cell lines. Quantitative analysis revealed that enhancement by LY294002 of 17-AAG-induced cytotoxicity was synergistic, leading to a pronounced increase in active caspase-3 and poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage together with the release of cytochrome c and apoptosis inducing factor (AIF). No significant growth inhibition or caspase activation was seen in control cells. The enhanced cytotoxicity of this combination was associated with diminished Akt activation and a significant downregulation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Raf-1, and mitogen activated protein kinase. Combination of 17-AAG and LY294002 did not modify phospho-JNK/SPK and phospho-p38. Cells exposed to 17-AAG and LY294002 displayed a significant reduction in cell-cycle regulatory proteins, such as retinoblastoma (Rb), cyclin dependent kinase (CDK)4, CDK6, cyclin D1, and cyclin D3. Taken together, these findings suggest that the PI3K/Akt pathway plays a critical role in regulating the apoptotic response to 17-AAG and that targeting this pathway could provide a potent strategy to treat patients with malignant gliomas.
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PMID:Synergistic interaction between 17-AAG and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibition in human malignant glioma cells. 1626 32

We studied the effect of 2-(6-(2-thieanisyl)-3(Z)-hexen-1,5-diynyl)aniline(THDA), a newly developed anti-cancer agent, on cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and induction of apoptosis in K562 cells. THDA was found to inhibit the growth of K562 cells in a time-and dose-dependent manner. Cell cycle analysis showed G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis in K562 cells following 24 h exposure to THDA. During the G2/M arrest, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CDKIs), p21 and p27 were increased in a time-dependent manner. Analysis of the cell cycle regulatory proteins demonstrated that THDA did not change the steady-state levels of cyclin B1, cyclin D3 and Cdc25C, but decreased the protein levels of Cdk1, Cdk2 and cyclin A. THDA also caused a marked increase in apoptosis, which was associated with activation of caspase-3 and proteolytic cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. These molecular alterations provide an insight into THDA-caused growth inhibition, G2/M arrest and apoptotic death of K562 cells.
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PMID:Induction of G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis by a novel enediyne derivative, THDA, in chronic myeloid leukemia (K562) cells. 1673 97

N'-(11H-indolo[3,2-c]quinolin-6-yl)-N,N-dimethylethane-1,2-diamine (IQDMA), an indoloquinoline compound, was identified in our laboratory as a novel antineoplastic agent with a broad spectrum of antitumor activity against many human cancer cells. Cell cycle analysis showed S-phase arrest and induction of apoptosis in HL-60 cells following 24 h exposure to IQDMA. Analysis of the cell cycle regulatory proteins demonstrated that IQDMA did not change the steady-state levels of cyclin B1, cyclin D3, and p21, but decreased the protein levels of Cdk1, Cdk2, and cyclin A. IQDMA also caused a marked increase in apoptosis, which was accompanied by increased levels of Bax, activated caspase-3, -8, and -9, and cleaved PARP. These molecular alterations provide an insight into IQDMA-caused growth inhibition, S-phase arrest, and apoptotic death of HL-60 cells.
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PMID:A novel indoloquinoline derivative, IQDMA, induces S-phase arrest and apoptosis in promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells. 1690 76

Activation of c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) through c-kit-mediated phosphatidylinositol 3 (PI3) and Src kinase pathways plays an important role in cell proliferation and survival in mast cells. Gain-of-function mutations in c-kit are found in several human neoplasms. Constitutive activation of c-kit has been observed in human mastocytosis and gastrointestinal stromal tumor. In the present study, we demonstrate that an anthrapyrazole SP600125, a reversible ATP-competitive inhibitor of JNK inhibits proliferation of human HMC-1 showed constitutive activation of JNK/c-Jun, and the inhibitory effect of SP600125 on cell proliferation was associated with cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase and apoptosis accompanied by the cleavage of caspase-3 and PARP. Caspase-3 inhibitor Z-DEVD-FMK almost completely inhibited SP600125-induced apoptosis of HMC-1 cells. In contrast, caspase-9 inhibitor Z-LEHD-FMK failed to block SP600125-induced apoptosis. Following Sp600125 treatment, down-regulation of cyclin D3 protein expression, but not p53 was also observed. Thus, JNK/c-Jun is essential for proliferation and survival of HMC-1 cells. The results obtained from the present study suggest the possibility that JNK/c-Jun may be a therapeutic target in diseases associated with mutations in the catalytic domain of c-kit.
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PMID:Growth suppression of human mast cells expressing constitutively active c-kit receptors by JNK inhibitor SP600125. 1692 20

JSI-124 (cucurbitacin I) has been recently described as a specific inhibitor of signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3). As STAT3 activation is pathogenetically important in anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALK+ ALCL), we investigated whether JSI-124 can mediate significant inhibitory effects in this cell type. In two ALK+ ALCL cell lines (Karpas 299 and SU-DHL-1), JSI-124 significantly reduced the number of viable cells to 50% of that of negative controls at a dose of 5-10 micromol/l at 24 h and 1-1.25 micromol/l at 48 h. This decrease in viability was associated with apoptosis, as confirmed by the increase in the subG(0/1) fraction, poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase cleavage and expression of active caspase 3. JSI-124 decreased the phosphorylated-STAT3 and -Janus kinase-3 (JAK3) levels in a dose-dependent fashion, and these changes were coupled with significant decreases in several STAT3 downstream targets, including mcl-1, bcl-2, bcl-xL and cyclin D3. Interestingly, JSI-124 also dramatically decreased the protein levels of JAK3 and nucleophosmin (NPM)-ALK, and these effects were reversible by MG132. Our data support that JSI-124 is a potentially useful therapeutic agent for ALK+ ALCL. In addition to its role as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, JSI-124 appears to be involved in regulating proteosome degradation for proteins such as JAK3 and NPM-ALK.
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PMID:JSI-124 (cucurbitacin I) inhibits Janus kinase-3/signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 signalling, downregulates nucleophosmin-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), and induces apoptosis in ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma cells. 1693 98

This study, using tissue microarrays, aimed at the immunomorphologic profiling of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases to reveal clinically relevant disease groups and biomarkers associated with patients' survival and tumor progression including brain metastatic potential. Donor tissue blocks were form 59 patients, including 33 primary tumors without distant metastasis and 26 brain metastatic primary tumors as well as the brain metastases. Sections were immunostained for 29 markers targeting molecules of cell adhesion, cell growth, cell cycle, and apoptosis regulation. beta-Catenin expression was the only independent prognostic marker associated with better outcome. Elevated expression of collagen XVII, CD44v6, and caspase-9, and the reduced production of beta-catenin and cellular apoptosis susceptibility protein were significantly associated with the metastatic potential of primary NSCLC. Expression of positive cell cycle regulators cyclin D1 and cyclin D3 was also increased in metastatic primary tumors. Metastatic tumor progression into the brain was accompanied by prominent p16, syndecan-1, p53 (DO7), and caspase-3 protein levels. Hierarchical clustering of complex immunoprofiles based on the differentially expressed markers grouped NSCLCs of the poorest outcome with high correlation including 2/3 of brain metastases of mixed histology. The brain metastatic potential of NSCLCs may be linked to the elevated levels of cyclinD1, cyclinD3, p16, p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, CD44v6, and collagen XVII and the down-regulation of beta-catenin and cellular apoptosis susceptibility protein. Unsupervised immunoprofiles based on differentially expressed biomarkers may help selecting lung cancers with aggressive behavior.
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PMID:Immunophenotypic profiling of nonsmall cell lung cancer progression using the tissue microarray approach. 1753 3

Chemotherapeutic drugs are usually designed to induce cancer cell death via cell cycle arrest and/or apoptosis pathways. In this study, we used the chemical drug 15,16-dihydrotanshinone I (DHTS) to inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth, and investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 were both used in this study, and DHTS was found to significantly decrease cell proliferation by a dose-dependent manner in both cells. Flow cytometry indicated that DHTS induced G1 phase arrest in synchronous MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. When analyzing the expression of cell cycle-related proteins, we found that DHTS reduced cyclin D1, cyclin D3, cyclin E, and CDK4 expression, and increased CDK inhibitor p27 expression in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, DHTS inhibited the kinase activities of CDK2 and CDK4 by an immunocomplex kinase assay. In addition, DHTS also induced apoptosis in both cells through mainly mitochondrial apoptosis pathways. We found that DHTS decreased the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-xL level and increased the loss of mitochondria membrane potential and the amount of cytochrome c released. Moreover, DHTS activated caspase-9, caspase-3, and caspase-7 and caused cell apoptosis. The fact that DHTS-induced apoptosis could be blocked by pretreating cells with pan-caspase inhibitor confirmed that it is mediated through activation of the caspase-3-dependent pathway. In a nude mice xenograft experiment, DHTS significantly inhibited the tumor growth of MDA-MB-231 cells. Taken together, these results suggest that DHTS can inhibit human breast cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth, and might have potential chemotherapeutic applications.
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PMID:Anti-tumor potential of 15,16-dihydrotanshinone I against breast adenocarcinoma through inducing G1 arrest and apoptosis. 1786 26

Protein kinases are critical signalling molecules for normal cell growth and development. CDK11p58 is a p34cdc2-related protein kinase, and plays an important role in normal cell cycle progression. However its distribution and function in the central nervous system (CNS) lesion remain unclear. In this study, we mainly investigated the protein expression and cellular localization of CDK11 during spinal cord injury (SCI). Western blot analysis revealed that CDK11p58 was not detected in normal spinal cord. It gradually increased, reached a peak at 3 day after SCI, and then decreased. The protein expression of CDK11(p58) was further analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The variable immunostaining patterns of CDK11p58 were visualized at different periods of injury. Double immunofluorescence staining showed that CDK11 was co-expressed with NeuN, CNPase and GFAP. Co-localization of CDK11/active caspase-3 and CDK11/proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were detected in some cells. Cyclin D3, which was associated with CDK11p58 and could enhance kinase activity, was detected in the normal and injured spinal cord. The cyclin D3 protein underwent a similar pattern with CDK11p58 during SCI. Double immunofluorescence staining indicated that CDK11 co-expressed with cyclin D3 in neurons and glial cells. Coimmunoprecipitation further showed that CDK11p58 and cyclin D3 interacted with each other in the damaged spinal cord. Thus, it is likely CDK11p58 and cyclin D3 could interact with each other after acute SCI. Another partner of CDK11p58 was beta-1,4-galactosyltransferase 1 (beta-1,4-GT 1). The co-localization of CDK11/beta-1,4-GT 1 in the damaged spinal cord was revealed by immunofluorescence analysis. The cyclin D3-CDK4 complexes were also present by coimmunoprecipitation analysis. Taken together, these data suggested that both CDK11 and cyclin D3 may play important roles in spinal cord pathophysiology.
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PMID:Increased expression of CDK11p58 and cyclin D3 following spinal cord injury in rats. 1800 45

Statins are a class of low molecular weight drugs that inhibit the rate-limiting enzyme of the mevalonate pathway 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase. Statins have been approved and effectively used to control hypercholesterolemia in clinical setting. Recent study showed statin's antitumor activity and suggested a potential role for prevention of human cancers. In this study, we did cell viability, DNA fragmentation, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assays to evaluate the action of statins on prostate cancer cells and used Western blotting and RhoA activation assay to investigate the underlying molecular mechanism of action. Our data showed that lovastatin and simvastatin effectively decreased cell viability in three prostate cancer cell lines (PC3, DU145, and LnCap) by inducing apoptosis and cell growth arrest at G(1) phase. Both lovastatin and simvastatin induced activation of caspase-8, caspase-3, and, to a lesser extent, caspase-9. Both statins suppressed expression of Rb, phosphorylated Rb, cyclin D1, cyclin D3, CDK4, and CDK6, but induced p21 and p27 expression in prostate cancer cells. Furthermore, lovastatin and simvastatin suppressed RhoA activation and c-JUN expression, but not cyclooxygenase-2 expression. Our data showed that the antitumor activity of statins is due to induction of apoptosis and cell growth arrest. The underlying molecular mechanism of statin's action is mediated through inactivation of RhoA, which in turn induces caspase enzymatic activity and/or G(1) cell cycle. Future studies should focus on examining statins and other apoptosis-inducing drugs (e.g., cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors or curcumin) together to assess their efficacy in prevention of prostate cancer.
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PMID:Statin induces apoptosis and cell growth arrest in prostate cancer cells. 1819 14

Troglitazone (TGZ) is a synthetic thiazolidinedione drug belonging to a group of potent peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) agonists known to inhibit proliferation, alter cell cycle regulation, and induce apoptosis in various cancer cell types. TGZ is an oral anti-type II diabetes drug that can reverse insulin resistance. For more then 100 yr, aspirin, a nonselective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor, has been successfully used as an anti-inflammatory drug. Recently, Aspirin (ASA) and some other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have drawn much attention for their protective effects against colon cancer and cardiovascular disease; it has been observed that ASA's anti-tumor effect can be attributed to inhibition of cell cycle progression, induction of apoptosis, and inhibition of angiogenesis. In this report we demonstrate for the first time that, when administered in combination, TGZ and ASA can produce a strong synergistic effect in growth inhibition and G(1) arrest in lung cancer CL1-0 and A549 cells. Examination by colony formation assay revealed an even more profound synergy. In Western blot, combined TGZ and ASA also could downregulate Cdk2, E2F-1, cyclin B1, cyclin D3 protein, and the ratio of phospho-Rb/Rb. Importantly, apoptosis was synergistically induced by the combination treatment, as evidenced by caspase-3 activation and PARP cleavage. The involvement of PI3K/Akt inhibition and p27 upregulation, as well as hypophosphorylation of Rac1 at ser71, were demonstrated. Taken together, these results suggest that clinically achievable concentrations of TGZ and ASA used in combination may produce a strong anticancer synergy that warrants further investigation for its clinical applications.
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PMID:The synergistic anticancer effect of troglitazone combined with aspirin causes cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human lung cancer cells. 1990 41


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