Effector caspases activation mechanisms

Fas ligand and interleukin-ip), the neurotransmitter glutamate and thrombin. Like tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptors, Fas is coupled to downstream death effector proteins that ultimately induce caspase activation (Ch. 22). Fas and TNF receptors recruit proteins called FADD and TRADD respectively FADD and TRADD then activate caspase-8, which, in turn, activates caspase-3 (Fig. 35-4). Calcium ion influx mediates neuronal apoptosis induced by glutamate receptor activation calcium induces mitochondrial membrane permeability transition pore opening, release of cytochrome c and caspase activation. Interestingly, in the absence of neurotrophic factors some neurotrophic factor receptors can activate apoptotic cascades, the low-affinity NGF receptor being one example of such a death receptor mechanism [23],... 

When a cell is infected with a virus, the latter utilises the metabolic machinery within the host cell to generate viral proteins, RNA and DNA to produce more virus particles which then escape to infect other cells. The process is stopped by death of the host cells so that generation of new viruses is halted. The major mechanism that results in death of the host cell is apoptosis. The cells that are responsible for the death of the infected cells are either cytotoxic lymphocytes or natural killer cells. Death is caused either by release of toxic biochemicals and/or proteolytic enzymes or by binding to a death receptor, which is present on many cells. The entry of proteolytic enzymes or binding to the death receptor results in activation of initiator caspases. These activate effector caspases that cause damage to the cell which results in death due to apoptosis (Chapter 17 Figures 17.28, 29 and 30). 

Figure 20.35 Mechanisms by which external or internal stress leads to cell damage resulting in apoptosis. The stress leads to activation of initiator proteolytic enzymes (caspases) that initiate activation of effector caspases. These enzymes cause proteolytic damage to the cytoskeleton, plasma membrane and DNA. The activation of DNAases in the nucleus results in cleavage of DNA chains between histones that produces a specific pattern of DNA damage which, upon electrophoresis, gives a specific pattern of DNA fragments. The major endproduct of apoptosis are the apoptolic bodies which are removed by the phagocytes.

Tlie initiator caspases receive proapoptotic signals and initiate the activation of a caspase cascade. Tliey are activated by an interaction with a transmembrane receptor or by cytotoxic influences. A complex is thus formed known as the apoptosome (see 15.4). The effector caspases are activated by an upstream caspase via a cascade mechanism. They are the component that executes apoptosis, initiates degradation of central proteins and directs the cell to death. 

Based on the triggering stimulus and the nature of the components involved, at least two apoptotic signaling pathways can be differentiated that lead to activation of the effector caspases. On the one hand, receptor systems may be involved on the other hand, activation may be triggered by cytotoxic stress. The two pathways differ in the mechanism of activation of the initiator caspase but use the same effector caspase at least partially. 

Activation of the caspases requires the help of a number of cofactors that are also known as activators or adaptors. Different cofactors are involved depending on the trigger mechanism of caspase activation. A central function of the cofactors is to bring about aggregation and thus activation of the procaspases. This occurs by specific protein-protein interactions with the help of common structural motives. Examples of such motives are the death domains (DD), death effector domains (DED) and the caspase recruitment domains (CARD), which all have a similar structure of six a-heh-ces. 

Effector caspases are activated by a transactivation mechanism, which is characterized by the catalytic action of a mature caspase on a procaspase (Thornberry et al., 1997 Earnshaw et al., 1999 Slee et al., 1999). Nevertheless, their activation can also occur by the action of other proteases. Granzyme B, a serine-protease, also has proteolytic specificity for aspartic acid residues. It is able to cleave and directly activate caspase 3 (Darmon et al., 1995). Cathepsin B, a lysosomal protease, cleaves and activates procaspase 11 (Schotte et al., 1998). 

Intrinsic (mitochondrial) pathway of caspase activation is initiated by the permeabilization of the mitochondrial outer membrane by proapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family, resulting in a release of cytochrome c and other proteins from the intermembrane space of mitochondria into the cytosol. Cytochrome c translocation to the cytosol may follow a number of possible mechanisms. However, once in the cytosol, cytochrome c binds to apoptosis protease activating factor (Apaf-1) and in the presence of dATP or ATP facilitates Apaf-1 oligomerization and the recruitment of procaspase-9. The formation of this caspase-activating complex, termed the apoptosome, results in the activation of procaspase-9, and this in turn cleaves and activates the effector caspase-3 and -7. Activated effector caspases cleave key substrates in the cell and produce the cellular and biochemical events characteristic for apoptosis [33-35]. 

Another important mechanism for promoting programmed cell death is the binding of ligands to the death receptors, which occurs in the extrinsic pathway (8) (Fig. 1). The death receptors recruit and activate caspase-8, which in turn regulates effector caspase-3 and caspase-7. Caspase-8 processes the Bcl-2 family member Bid, which collaborates with other members of the Bcl-2 family to induce cytochrome c release from the mitochondria and thereby activates the downstream intrinsic pathway (9). 

Proteolytic activation of procaspases uses two mechanisms, depending on whether the caspase functions as an effector caspase (caspases-3, -6 and -7) or as an initiator caspase (caspases-8 and -9). Initiator caspases are the first to be activated in response to a proapoptotic stimulus and are responsible for activating the effector caspases by limited proteolysis. The effector caspases are thought to be responsible for most of the substrate proteolysis observed during apoptosis. By digesting central proteins, the effector caspases direct the cell to death. 

The two main pathways of apoptosis, the death receptor pathway and the mitochondrial pathway, differ in the mechanism of activation of the initiator caspase but use the same effector caspase at least partially. 

In a further step of apoptosis, the cytochrome c released from the mitochondria promotes the assembly of a multiprotein complex, termed apoptosome, which contains cytochrome c, the adaptor protein Apafl, and procaspase-9. The apoptosome requires ATP for its formation and is able to cleave and activate procaspase-3, an effector caspase. The adaptor protein Apafl appears to play a major structural role in this assembly. Apafl contains WD motifs for interaction with cytochrome c and a CARD motif, which directs binding to the CARD motifs of procaspase-9 and procaspase-3. Structural studies on the apoptosome by electron microscopy have revealed a wheel shaped heptameric complex, with the CARD domains of Apafl located at the central hub and the WD40 repeats at the extended spokes (Acehan et al., 2002). The location of pro-caspase 9 in this complex is still open as is the mechanism of caspase 9 activation. 

Depending on the cell type, two different downstream pathways are triggered. In type I cells, processed caspase-8 produced in large amounts directly activates a caspase cascade. Among the caspases activated are caspase-3, which cleaves other caspases or vital substrates of the cell and thus paves the way for the execution phase of apoptosis. In type II cells, proper activation of effector caspases requires amplification via the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. Here, smaller amounts of active caspase-3 are produced which cleave the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member Bid. The truncated form of Bid activates mitochondria by an unknown mechanism, which now release pro-apoptotic proteins like cytochrome c and Smac/Diablo (see Section 15.5). Cytochrome c release triggers the formation of the apoptosome, resulting in the activation of caspase-9 and subsequently caspase-3, which in turn can activate caspase-8 outside the Fas-DISC. 

Fig. 1.3 Cell-death pathways relevant to an apoptotic-like mechanism in cerebral ischemia. Release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria is modulated by pro as well as anti-apoptotic bcl-2 family members. Cytochrome c release activates downstream caspases through apoptosome formation (not shown) and caspase activation can be modulated by smac/DlABLO indirectly through suppressing protein of inhibitors of apoptosis (LAP). Effector caspases (caspase-3, -7) work on multiple substrates which dismantle the cell by cleaving homeostatic,...

Fig. 41.2 (continued) several pro-apoptotic genes, including members of the Bcl-2 family. Berberine promotes the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to the cytosol and the formation of the apoptosome, inducing the activation of caspase-9 and, subsequently, of the effector caspase-3 and caspase-7. However, it is not clear the molecular mechanism that links nuclear damage with activation of the mitochondrial pathway... 

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