Apoptosis death receptor-mediated pathway

Fig. 1. Proposed mechanism of action of rituximab associated with the apoptosis pathway. Binding of rituximab with the CD20 antigen up-regulates the production of interleukin-10 (IL-10). The IL-10 autocrine loop down-regulates the expression of the bcl-2 protein, which inhibits the intrinsic pathway (or mitochondrial mediated pathway) of apoptosis. The mitochondrial pathway is induced by intracellular stress signals. The translocation of the bcl-2 protein into the mitochondria leads to the activation of caspase 9 via release of cytochrome c and apoptotic protease-activating factor 1. The other pathway, the extrinsic pathway (or death receptor mediated pathway) activates caspase 8. Subsequently, caspase 8 or 9 activates caspase 3, leading to programmed cell death (apoptosis).

In hematopoietic cehs, cytokines also regulate death receptor-mediated pathways. Hematopoietic cytokines, such as IL-3 and erythropoietin in normal cells and BCR-ABL oncoprotein in transformed cells, inhibit transcription of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). The inhibition of TRAIL function is sufficient to partially rescue cytokine-deprived cells from apoptosis. Cytokine and BCR-ABL suppression of TRAIL transcription is mediated through phosphorylation and inhibition of the forkhead F0X03a transcription factor. BCR-ABL-induced inhibition of TRAIL transcription in hematopoietic cells may provide a novel mechanism for tumorigenicity in chronic myeloid leukemia. ... 

The extrinsic pathway of apoptosis or the death receptor-mediated pathway is activated at the cell surface when a specific ligand binds to its corresponding cell-surface death receptor viz. TNF receptor, TNF-related... 

Figure 15.4 Mechanisms of apoptosis induction by resveratrol. Resveratrol selectively induces apoptosis in various cancer cells in culture by several mechanisms including activation of death receptor-mediated signaling, mitochondria-dependent cytochrome c release and caspase activation, induction of p53 and p53-regulated proapototic genes, activation of MAP kinase-mediated p53 phosphorylation, blockade of Akt-mediated cell survival pathways, and accumulation of intracellular ceramide level.

It is worth mentioning that in death receptor-mediated apoptosis, cells can be divided into two groups depending on the requirement for mitochondria to induce a complete apoptotic response. Type I cells do not require the mitochondrial pathway because the recruitment of procaspase-8 into the DISC complex is enough to fully activate caspase-8 which then activates effector caspases. However, Type II cells are characterized by an incomplete apoptotic response unless mitochondria are involved (Scaffidi et al., 1999). In this type of cell, efficient activation of effector caspases requires the mitochondrial amplification loop (Fig. 5). Caspase-8 cleaves cytosolic Bid, a BH3-only protein, which when cleaved to tBid is able to translocate to the mitochondria and trigger release of the proapoptotic factors cytochrome c and Smac/DIABLO (Li et al., 1998 Deng et al., 2002). The release of cytochrome c triggers apoptosome formation, subsequent caspase-9 activation, and finally the activation of effector caspases such as caspase-3. 

Schmitz, I., Kirchhoff, S., Krammer, P.H. Regulation of death receptor-mediated apoptosis pathways. Int. J. Biochem. Cell Biol. 2000 22 1123-1136... 

Apoptosis (programmed cell death) is a genetically controlled cell suicide process that has an essential role for the maintenance of homeostasis and prevention of cancer and some other diseases substantially in all living cells [141], Apoptosis is an optional elimination method for irreversibly damaged cells. The two major pathways that initiate apoptosis are extrinsic (death receptor mediated) and intrinsic (mitochondrial mediated). In addition, mitogenic and stress-responsive pathways are involved in the regulation of apoptotic signaling [142],... 

Activated MAPKs have been found to modulate mitochondria-mediated apoptotic pathways, JNK in particular [71]. In fact, it appears that MAPK signaling may represent a potential cross-link between die different apoptotic pathways. JNK activation is not required for death-receptor-mediated apoptosis but is required for caspase-9 activation by the mitochondrial pathway, induced by a variety of proapoptotic stimuli [72,73]. JNK activation and c-Jun phosphorylation were found to be necessary to promote cytochrome c release from mitochondria, with the sequential assembly of the apoptosome and caspase-3 activation. The molecular mechanism of this effect was unclear, but it appeared to involve regulation of the expression and phosphorylation state of the Bcl-2 protein family and their recruitment to the mitochondrial outer membrane (Fig. 4). In a number of apoptotic models, JNK activation was associated with a downregulation of the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 and Bc1-Xl and upregulation of the proapoptotic Bax and Bad [74—77]. Two cell culture studies provided very strong evidence that JNK activation resulted in the phosphorylation of Bcl-2 and Bc1-Xl ex vivo, with the induction of apoptosis [76,77]. In other words, Bcl-2 and Bc1-Xl appear to be substrates of JNK, and phosphorylation results in their inactivation, thereby abolishing their ability to prevent cytochrome c release. 

Topo inhibitors are found to be the most efficient inducers of apoptosis. The main pathways leading from topo-mediated DNA damage to cell death involve activation of caspases in the cytoplasm by pro-apoptotic molecules released from mitochondria. In some cells, the apoptotic response also involves the death receptor Fas (APO-1/CD95). The engagement of these apoptotic ef-... 

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