Pro-apoptotic

There is also crosstalk between the two pathways above the mitochondria. The BH3-only protein BID is cleaved by caspase-8 and -10 which yields truncated BID (tBED), the active pro-apoptotic fragment of BID. Thereby, even in cells in which the direct apoptosis pathway which result from death receptor crosslinking is blocked, e.g. by high expression levels ofthex-linked IAP (XIAP), the activity of tBED on mitochondria can result in the activation of caspase-3 because the IAP-imposed block on full caspase-3 activation and caspase-9 activity at the apoptosome is released by Smac/ DIABLO. 

Apoptotic initiator caspases (caspase-2, -8, -9 and -10) constitute a subgroup of the caspase family. These caspases are the first to become proteolytically active in the apoptotic cascade. Their activation takes place in multiprotein complexes initiated by pro-apoptotic stimuli, such as TNFa, a-Fas, staurosporine. Once activated, they can process their substrates, which include the apoptotic executioner caspases. 

ET-1 also stimulates anti-apoptotic signal cascades in fibroblasts, vascular smooth muscles and endothelial cells (via phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase and Akt/pro-tein kinase B). In prostate and ovarian cancer, upregulation of endothelin synthesis and ETA receptors has been associated with a progression of the disease. The inhibiton of ETA receptors results in a reduced tumour growth. In malignant melanoma, ETB receptors are associated with tumour progression. Endothelins can also stimulate apoptosis in stretch-activated vessels via the ETB receptor, which contrasts the above-mentioned effects. The molecular basis for these differential anti- and pro-apoptotic reactions mediated by endothelins remains elusive. 

Taylor JM, QuUty D, Banadyga L, Barry M (2006) The vaccinia virus protein FIL interacts with Bim and inhibits activation of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax. The Journal of biological chemistry 281 39728-39739... 

While multiple signaling pathways are implicated in mediating the proliferative effects of CXCL12, only Akt activation, p38 activation, and suppression of cAMP levels have been shown to influence the survival response. Vlahakis et al. (2002) demonstrated that CXCL12 regulates survival in CD4-t T lymphocytes via the balance of pro-survival Akt activation and pro-apoptotic p38 activation. Whether the cellular response to CXCL12 was survival or apoptosis depended on coincident activation of these pathways by other factors. 

In some studies it has been shown that ITCs can cause increases in the pro-apoptotic caspase enzymes, caspase 3, caspase 8 or caspase However, in other work, specific caspase inhibitors failed to block cell death or cell detachment from the substratum . This suggests that caspase-activation may only be a bystander event, or may only occur after the initiating event of a block in the cell cycle. Indeed, although expression of c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (INK) in response to ITCs has been linked to the pro-apoptotic process, it remains entirely possible that this is a parallel signalling pathway, more closely related to the induction of Phase 1 or Phase 2 enzymes than to the... 

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-... 

Martelli AM, Bortul R, Bareggi R, et al. The pro-apoptotic drug camptothecin stimulates phospholipase D activity and diacylglycerol production in the nucleus of HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemia cells. Cancer Res 1999 59 3961-3967. 

Chor SY, Hui AY, To KF, et al. Anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of herbal medicine on hepatic stellate cell. J Ethnopharmacol 2005 100 180-186. 

Numerous studies have demonstrated that degradation products of (3-carotene exhibit deleterious effects in cellular systems (Alija et al., 2004, 2006 Hurst et al., 2005 Salerno et al., 2005 Siems et al., 2003). A mixture of (3-carotene degradation products exerts pro-apoptotic effects and cytotoxicity to human neutrophils (Salerno et al., 2005 Siems et al., 2003), and enhances the geno-toxic effects of oxidative stress in primary rat hepatocytes (Alija et al., 2004, 2006), as well as dramatically reduces mitochondrial activity in a human leukaemic cell line, K562, and RPE 28 SV4 cell line derived from stably transformed fetal human retinal pigmented epithelial cells (Hurst et al., 2005). As a result of degradation or enzymatic cleavage of (3-carotene, retinoids are formed, which are powerful modulators of cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis (Blomhoff and Blomhoff, 2006). 

Carotenoids can strongly modulate apoptotic pathways (Palozza et al., 2006). For example, it has been demonstrated that lutein and zeaxanthin modulate the expression of anti-and pro-apoptotic factors and can selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells but not in normal cells (Chew et al., 2003 Maccarrone et al., 2005). 

Moreover, a recent study also revealed that ROS generation led to the activation of caspase-2 during p-carotene-induced apoptosis in the human leukemic T cell line Molt 4. The apoptosis progressed by simultaneous activation of caspase-8 and caspase-9, and a cross talk between these initiator caspases was mediated by the pro-apoptotic protein Bid. Inhibition of caspases 2, 8, 9, and 3 independently suppressed the caspase cascade. The cleavage of the anti-apoptotic protein BclXL was found to be another important event during P-carotene-induced apoptosis, suggesting the presence of an extensive feedback amplification loop in P-carotene-induced apoptosis (Prasad et al., 2006). 

The involvement of mitochondria in the pro-apoptotic effects of carotenoids has been clearly demonstrated by the fact that P-carotene induces the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and alters the mitochondrial membrane potential (Aym) in different tumor cells (Palozza et al., 2003a). Moreover, the highly polar xanthophyll neoxanthin has been reported to induce apoptosis in colon cancer cells by a mechanism that involves its accumulation into the mitochondria and a consequent loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and releas of cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor (Terasaki et al., 2007). 

S. Fortier, M. Touaibia, S. Lord-Dufour, J. Galipeau, R. Roy, and B. Annabi, Tetra- and hexavalent mannosides inhibit the pro-apoptotic, antiproliferative and cell surface clustering effects of concanavalin A Impact on MT1-MMP functions in marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells, Glycobiology, 18 (2008) 195-204. 

Once apoptosis is triggered, a stereotyped sequence of premitochondrial events occurs that executes the cell death process. In many cases proteins and/or lipid mediators that induce changes in mitochondrial membrane permeability and calcium regulation are produced or activated. For example, the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members Bax, Bad and Bid may associate with the mitochondrial membrane and modify its permeability. Membrane-derived lipid mediators such as ceramide and 4-hydroxynonenal can also induce mitochondrial membrane alterations that are critical for the execution of apoptosis. 

Palomba S, Orio F Jr, Russo T, Falbo A, Tolino A, Lombardi G, Cimini V, Zullo F (2005b) Anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of raloxifene on uterine leiomyomas in postmenopausal women. Fertil Steril (in press)... 

There are several hypotheses for a specific mechanism by which ONOO- can control the open state of the PTPC. Briefly the PTPC is regulated by primary constituents of the pore, including the inner membrane adenine nucleotide translocase (ANT) and the outer membrane protein voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC or porin). The VDAC-ANT complex can bind to signaling proteins that modulate permeability transition, such as pro-apoptotic Bax (which opens the pore) and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2... 

Although cadmium is not strongly mutagenic, it is known that it causes increased oxidative DNA damage and that it inhibits the DNA repair systems. It has also been found to induce cell death both by necrosis and apoptosis. Since the latter is extremely calcium-dependent, it seems likely that the pro-apoptotic effects of cadmium are due to its interference with calcium homeostasis. 

Nakamura, M. and Tanigawa, Y., Characterization of ubiquitin-like polypeptide acceptor protein, a novel pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl2 family, Eur. J. BioBiol, 2003, 270, 4052. 

The central dogma of apoptosis is that all the initiating pro-apoptotic stimuli converge on the mitochondrial compartment. Thus, although apoptosis can be initiated elsewhere, the execution phase of apoptosis induced by ionizing radiation needs mitochondria. How do DNA lesions trigger mitochondria Several metabolic pathways coimect mitochondria to the nucleus. 

It should be noted here that the synthesis of sphingomyelin, the lipid whose synthesis and breakdown are most intricately involved in the process of apoptosis, is dependent on the presence of PC, since the final step in SM synthesis involves the exchange of the phosphocholine head group from PC to ceramide (see Eigure 1). Theoretically, therefore, inhibition of PC synthesis may lead to an inhibition of SM generation and an accumulation of pro-apoptotic ceramides. On the other hand, an increased breakdown of SM by SMases as frequently observed in apoptotic cells, was shown to increase the conversion of PC to anti-apoptotic DAG (Sillence and Allan, 1998, for anti-apoptotic action of DAG see below). 

Furthermore, an increasing body of circumstantial evidence is emerging for a role of diminished PC synthesis in apoptosis from observations, that a number of apoptosis-inducing comporuids can inhibit PC synthesis. However, it should be kept in mind that most of these compounds might not be completely specific and may also affect other pro-apoptotic pathways, besides PC synthesis. In the following section we will discuss some of the apoptotic compormd that affect PC synthesis in more detail. 

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