Knock-out of the neural death effector domain protein PEA-15 demonstrates that its expression protects astrocytes from TNFalpha-induced apoptosis.
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Apoptosis is a very general phenomenon, but only a few reports concern astrocytes. Indeed, astrocytes express receptors for tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha, a cytokine demonstrated on many cells and tissues to mediate apoptosis after recruitment of adaptor proteins containing a death effector domain (DED). PEA-15 is a DED-containing protein prominently expressed in the CNS and particularly abundant in astrocytes. This led us to investigate if PEA-15 expression could be involved in astrocytic protection against deleterious effects of TNF. In vitro assays evidence that PEA-15 may bind to DED-containing protein FADD and caspase-8 known to be apical adaptors of the TNF apoptotic signaling. After generation of PEA-15 null mutant mice, our results demonstrate that PEA-15 expression increases astrocyte survival after exposure to TNF. (+info)
Fas-induced apoptosis in human malignant melanoma cell lines is associated with the activation of the p34(cdc2)-related PITSLRE protein kinases.
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The Cdc2L locus encoding the PITSLRE protein kinases maps to chromosome band 1p36 and consists of two duplicated and tandemly linked genes. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether diminution of PITSLRE kinases leads to deregulation of apoptosis. The human melanoma cell lines A375 (Cdc2L wild-type alleles) and UACC 1227 (mutant Cdc2L alleles) were tested with agonist anti-Fas monoclonal antibody. We found that exposure of these cells to anti-Fas for 24, 48, or 72 h resulted in differential sensitivity to Fas-induced apoptosis. In A375, cell death started at 24-48 h post-treatment, and it was maximal by 72 h. Conversely, UACC 1227 cells were resistant to Fas-mediated apoptosis. Induction of PITSLRE histone H1 kinase activity was observed in A375 anti-Fas treated but not in UACC 1227 cells. Also, the PITSLRE protein kinase activity in A375 anti-Fas-treated cells preceded maximal levels of apoptosis. Finally, fluorescence confocal microscopy revealed a nuclear localization of PITSLRE proteins in normal melanocytes and A375 cells but a cytoplasmic localization in UACC 1227 cells. The differences in PITSLRE protein and cellular localization between A375 and UACC 1227 cells appear to account for the differences in sensitivity of the two cells lines to anti-Fas and staurosporine. These observations suggest that alterations in PITSLRE gene expression and protein localization may result in the loss of apoptotic signaling. (+info)
Evidence for a function of death-receptor-related, death-domain-containing proteins in anoikis.
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Normal epithelial cells undergo apoptosis if integrinmediated matrix contacts are lost, in a process termed 'anoikis'. Anoikis prevents shed epithelial cells from colonizing elsewhere, and is thus essential for maintaining appropriate tissue organisation. Aberrant oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes can cause resistance to anoikis, thereby contributing substantially to malignancy. Apoptosis is mediated by a well-ordered signaling cascade, which involves activation of intracellular proteases known as caspases. However, the mechanism by which the caspase cascade is initiated following cell-matrix detachment is unknown. We have hypothesized that death receptor activation might be involved in anoikis. To test this hypothesis, we developed a transient assay for anoikis and used it to assay the effects of proteins that block the function of domains found within death receptors known as death domains. In this assay, silencer of death domains (SODD) and dominant-negative FAS-associated death domain protein (FADD) efficiently inhibited anoikis in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. The protective activity of SODD required its BAG domain, which interacts with the heat shock proteins hsp70 and hsc70, and inhibits the chaperone activity of the latter. Both caspase 8, which physically associates with death receptors, and cleavage of the caspase-8 substrate BID, were activated by cell-matrix detachment. These findings indicate a role for death receptors or proteins with related death domains in triggering anoikis. (+info)
Involvement of FADD and caspase-8 signalling in detachment-induced apoptosis.
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Detachment of most untransformed adherent cells from the extracellular matrix promotes apoptosis, in a process termed anoikis [1] [2]. The death signalling mechanisms involved in this process are not known, although adhesion or transformation by ras oncogenes have been shown to protect epithelial cells from apoptosis through activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) [3]. Here we show that detachment-induced apoptosis (anoikis) is blocked by the expression of a dominant-negative form of FAS-associated death domain protein (FADD) in a number of untransformed epithelial cell lines. Because the soluble extracellular domains of the death receptors CD95, DR4 and DR5 failed to block anoikis, we conclude that ligand-dependent activation of these death receptors is not involved in this process. Detachment induced strong activation of caspase 8 and caspase 3. Detachment-induced caspase-8 activation did not require the function of downstream caspases but was blocked by overexpression of the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 or Bcl-X(L). We propose that caspase-8 activation is the initiating event in anoikis, which is subsequently subject to a positive-feedback loop involving mitochondrial events. (+info)
The three-dimensional structure of caspase-8: an initiator enzyme in apoptosis.
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BACKGROUND: In the initial stages of Fas-mediated apoptosis the cysteine protease caspase-8 is recruited to the cell receptor as a zymogen (procaspase-8) and is incorporated into the death-signalling complex. Procaspase-8 is subsequently activated leading to a cascade of proteolytic events, one of them being the activation of caspase-3, and ultimately resulting in cell destruction. Variations in the substrate specificity of different caspases have been reported. RESULTS: We report here the crystal structure of a complex of the activated human caspase-8 (proteolytic domain) with the irreversible peptidic inhibitor Z-Glu-Val-Asp-dichloromethylketone at 2.8 A resolution. This is the first structure of a representative of the long prodomain initiator caspases and of the group III substrate specificity class. The overall protein architecture resembles the caspase-1 and caspase-3 folds, but shows distinct structural differences in regions forming the active site. In particular, differences observed in subsites S(3), S(4) and the loops involved in inhibitor interactions explain the preference of caspase-8 for substrates with the sequence (Leu/Val)-Glu-X-Asp. CONCLUSIONS: The structural differences could be correlated with the observed substrate specificities of caspase-1, caspase-3 and caspase-8, as determined from kinetic experiments. This information will help us to understand the role of the various caspases in the propagation of the apoptotic signal. The information gained from this investigation should be useful for the design of specific inhibitors. (+info)
The atomic-resolution structure of human caspase-8, a key activator of apoptosis.
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BACKGROUND: Caspases are a family of cysteine proteases that have important intracellular roles in inflammation and apoptosis. Caspase-8 activates downstream caspases which are unable to carry out autocatalytic processing and activation. Caspase-8 is designated as an initiator caspase and is believed to sit at the apex of the Fas- or TNF-mediated apoptotic cascade. In view of this role, the enzyme is an attractive target for the design of inhibitors aimed at blocking the undesirable cell death associated with a range of degenerative disorders. RESULTS: The structure of recombinant human caspase-8, covalently modified with the inhibitor acetyl-Ile-Glu-Thr-Asp-aldehyde, has been determined by X-ray crystallography to 1.2 A resolution. The asymmetric unit contains the p18-p11 heterodimer; the biologically important molecule contains two dimers. The overall fold is very similar to that of caspase-1 and caspase-3, but significant differences exist in the substrate-binding region. The structure answers questions about the enzyme-inhibitor complex that could not be explained from earlier caspase structures solved at lower resolution. CONCLUSIONS: The catalytic triad in caspase-8 comprises Cys360, His317 and the backbone carbonyl oxygen atom of Arg258, which points towards the Nepsilon atom of His317. The oxygen atom attached to the tetrahedral carbon in the thiohemiacetal group of the inhibitor is hydrogen bonded to Ndelta of His317, and is not in a region characteristic of a classical 'oxyanion hole'. The N-acetyl group of the inhibitor is in the trans configuration. The caspase-8-inhibitor structure provides the basis for understanding structure/function relationships in this important initiator of the proteolytic cascade that leads to programmed cell death. (+info)
Inhibition of caspase activity in retinal cell apoptosis induced by various stimuli in vitro.
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PURPOSE: Although recent work implicates a decisive role for a family of cysteine aspartic acid proteases, termed caspases, as mediators of neuronal apoptosis, little is known about caspase activation that accompanies apoptosis in the retina. The purpose of this study was to investigate caspase activation in retinal cell apoptosis induced by various stimuli, including simulated ischemia, excitotoxicity, and antibody to heat shock protein 27 (hsp27), and to assess whether the inhibition of caspases can block apoptosis in retinal cells induced by different stimuli. METHODS: Apoptotic cell death induced in cultured retinal cells by simulated ischemia, excitotoxicity, or hsp27 antibody was examined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling technique. Changes in the caspase activity were studied using western blot analysis and a fluorometric protease activity assay in the presence or absence of caspase inhibitors. In addition, changes in the expression of bcl-2 and bax were examined by western blot analysis. RESULTS: The authors' in vitro observations revealed that the apoptotic process in retinal cells induced by different stimuli share a common executioner proteolysis cascade, including caspase-3 and poly(ADP ribose) polymerase cleavage. One exception, however, was that caspase-8 activation was only observed during the apoptosis induced by hsp27 antibody. In retinal cells going to apoptosis regardless of the stimulus, bcl-2 expression was decreased and bax expression was increased. Furthermore, the authors observed that treatment of retinal cells with inhibitors of caspases, including B-D-FMK and Z-IETD-FMK, blocked the apoptotic cell death induced by different stimuli. CONCLUSIONS: The authors' observations provide a better understanding of the apoptotic process in retinal cells at molecular level and demonstrate an effective blockade of caspase activation with specific inhibitors. These findings may have therapeutic implications in the treatment of neuroretinal diseases, which are characterized by apoptotic cell death. (+info)
The inhibitor of death receptor signaling, FLICE-inhibitory protein defines a new class of tumor progression factors.
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Death receptor-mediated apoptosis can be modulated by several antiapoptotic proteins, such as the FLICE (FADD [Fas-associated death domain]-like IL-1beta-converting enzyme)-inhibitory proteins (FLIPs). The FLIP family includes both cellular and viral members. The Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus protein (KSHV)-FLIP is expressed by human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), which is associated with malignancies such as Kaposi's sarcoma and certain lymphomas. In this paper, we demonstrate that KSHV-FLIP protects cells from Fas-mediated apoptosis by inhibiting caspase activation and permits clonal growth in the presence of death stimuli in vitro. Furthermore, we show that KSHV-FLIP can act as a tumor progression factor by promoting tumor establishment and growth in vivo. When injected into immunocompetent recipient mouse strains, murine B lymphoma cells (A20) transduced with KSHV-FLIP rapidly develop into aggressive tumors showing a high rate of survival and growth. The tumor-progressive activity of KSHV-FLIP is mediated by prevention of death receptor-induced apoptosis triggered by conventional T cells. Consequently, inhibitors of death receptor signaling can be regarded as a new class of tumor progression factors, and HHV-8-associated tumors may represent naturally occurring examples of the tumorigenic effect of such inhibitors. (+info)