Search results for " APOPTOSIS"

Expression of IAPs and alternative splice variants in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and cells.

2005

IAPs (inhibitors of apoptosis proteins) might have a major role in the apoptotic resistance that marks many cancers. The studies on IAPs in human HCC have focused on survivin or XIAP, indicating that their new or increased expression in this tumor is associated with a more unfavorable prognosis. The present results corroborate these findings, emphasizing the role that the coordinated expression of different IAPs and alternative splice variants might play in the adverse biology of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The Synthetic Cannabinoid WIN 55,212-2 Sensitizes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells to Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL)-I…

2010

In this article, we demonstrate that the synthetic cannabinoid R-(+)-(2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-[(4-morpholinyl)methyl]pyrol[1,2,3-de]-1,4-benzoxazin-6-yl)-(1-naphthalenyl) methanone mesylate (WIN 55,212-2) sensitizes human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells to apoptosis mediated by tumor necrosis-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL). The apoptotic mechanism induced by treatment with WIN/TRAIL combination involved the loss of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential and led to the activation of caspases. In HCC cells, WIN treatment induced the up-regulation of TRAIL death receptor DR5, an effect that seemed to be related to the increase in the level of p8 and CHOP, two factors implicat…

Induction of apoptosis and inhibition of cell growth in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells by COX-2 inhibitors

2005

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of nonselective (indomethacin) and selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors (NS-398, nimesulide, and CAY10404) on cell growth, cell cycle distribution, and apoptosis in three human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (HepG2, HuH-6, and HA22T/VGH) with different characteristics of differentiation and biological behavior. The four COX inhibitors showed a dose-dependent growth-inhibitory effect in all the cell lines. No substantial arrests in the progression of the cells through the cell cycle were observed after treatment of HuH-6 or HA22T/VGH for 48 h with the various inhibitors. On the other hand, there were significant increases …

Quaderni del Dottorato di Ricerca in Oncobiologia Sperimentale: Tecniche e Procedure di Ricerca

2008

Survivin’s Dual Role: An Export’s View

2007

Survivin is proposed to function as a mitotic regulator and an apoptosis inhibitor during development and pathogenesis. As such, survivin has aroused keen interest in disparate areas of basic and translational research. Survivin acts as a subunit of the chromosomal passenger complex (CPC), composed of the mitotic kinase Aurora-B, Borealin and INCENP, and is essential for proper chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. Our recent findings indicate that the nuclear export receptor Crm1 is critically involved in tethering the CPC to the centromere by interacting with a leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES), evolutionary conserved in all mammalian survivin proteins. In addition, the survivin/…

Resveratrol reduces oxidative stress and cell death and increases mitochondrial antioxidants and XIAP in PC6.3-cells.

2010

Resveratrol, a polyphenol derived e.g. from red grapes, has been shown to mediate several positive biological actions such as protection of cells against oxidative stress. It can also influence cell signaling, but the mechanisms behind its antioxidant properties are largely unknown. Here we show that RSV reduces oxidative stress and enhances cell survival in PC6.3 cells depending on the concentration. In these cells, RSV increased the levels of antioxidants, SOD2 and TRX2, and of X chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein. RSV also activated NFκB signaling as shown using luciferase reporter constructs. These findings show that RSV regulates oxidative stress and mitochondrial antioxi…

On Cancer Cell Cycle and Universal Apoptosis Parameters Signaling Unravelled In Silico

2010

Here, cell cycle in higher eukaryotes and their molecular networks signals both in G1/S and G2/M transitions are in silico replicated. Systems control theory is employed to design multi-nestled digital layers to simulate protein-toprotein activation and inhibition in the cancer cell cycle dynamics in presence of damaged genome. Sequencing and controlling the digital process of four micro-scale species networks (p53/Mdm2/DNA damage; p21mRNA/cyclin-CDK complex; CDK/CDC25/wee1/SKP2/APC/CKI and apoptosis target genes system) paved the way for unravelling the participants and their by-products having the task to execute (or not) cell death. The results of the proposed cell digital multi-layers g…

Pyrrolo[2',3':3,4]cyclohepta[1,2-d][1,2]oxazoles, a New Class of Antimitotic Agents Active against Multiple Malignant Cell Types

2020

A new class of pyrrolo[2',3':3,4]cyclohepta[1,2-d][1,2]oxazoles was synthesized for the treatment of hyperproliferative pathologies, including neoplasms. The new compounds were screened in the 60 human cancer cell lines of the NCI drug screen and showed potent activity with GI50 values reaching the nanomolar level, with mean graph midpoints of 0.08-0.41 μM. All compounds were further tested on six lymphoma cell lines, and eight showed potent growth inhibitory effects with IC50 values lower than 500 nM. Mechanism of action studies showed the ability of the new [1,2]oxazoles to arrest cells in the G2/M phase in a concentration dependent manner and to induce apoptosis through the mitochondrial…

Anandamide-induced apoptosis in Chang liver cells involves ceramide and JNK/AP-1 pathway

2006

In the present study we demonstrate that anandamide, the most important endogenous cannabinoid, markedly induced apoptosis in Chang liver cells, an immortalized non-tumor cell line derived from normal liver tissue, while it induced only modest effects in a number of hepatoma cell lines. The apoptotic effect was reduced by methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, a membrane cholesterol depletor, suggesting an interaction between anandamide and the membrane microdomains named lipid rafts. Anandamide effects were mediated by the production of ceramide, as demonstrated by experiments performed with the sphingomyelinase inhibitor, desipramine, or with the sphingomyelinase activator, melittin. This conclusion w…

Bortezomib induces in HepG2 cells IkappaBalpha degradation mediated by caspase-8.

2006

The present paper demonstrates that the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, which behaves as an apoptotic agent in hepatoma HepG2 cells, caused in these cells a decrease in IkappaBalpha level and a consequent increase in NF- kappaB activity. The effect already appeared at 4 h of treatment and preceded the onset of apoptosis which was observed at 24 h. Our results demonstrate that bortezomib-induced IkappaBalpha degradation occurred in conjunction with the activation of caspase-8; moreover, the decrease in IkappaBalpha level was prevented in a dose-dependent manner by the addition of z-IETD, a specific inhibitor of caspase-8. Bortezomib caused the same effects in non-tumor Chang liver cells, wh…