| 1. |
- Burek, C. J., et al.
(författare)
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The role of ceramide in receptor- and stress-induced apoptosis studied in acidic ceramidase-deficient Farber disease cells
- 2001
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Ingår i: Oncogene. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 0950-9232 .- 1476-5594. ; 20:45, s. 6493-6502
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The activation of sphingomyelinases leading to the generation of ceramide has been implicated in various apoptotic pathways. However, the role of ceramide as an essential death mediator remains highly controversial. In the present study, we investigated the functional relevance of ceramide in a genetic model by using primary cells from a Farber disease patient. These cells accumulate ceramide as the result of an inherited deficiency of acidic ceramidase. We demonstrate that Farber disease lymphocytes and fibroblasts underwent apoptosis induced by various stress stimuli, including staurosporine, anticancer drugs and gamma -irradiation, equally as normal control cells. In addition, caspase activation by these proapoptotic agents occurred rather similarly in Farber disease and control fibroblasts. Interestingly, Farber disease lymphoid cells underwent apoptosis induced by the CD95 death receptor more rapidly than control cells. Our data therefore suggest that ceramide does not play an essential role as a second messenger in stress-induced apoptosis. However, in accordance with a role in lipid-rich microdomains, ceramide by altering membrane composition may function as an amplifier in CD95-mediated apoptosis.
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| 2. |
- Burek, M., et al.
(författare)
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Apoptin-induced cell death is modulated by Bcl-2 family members and is Apaf-1dependent
- 2006
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Ingår i: Oncogene. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0950-9232 .- 1476-5594. ; 25:15, s. 2213-2222
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Apoptin, a chicken anemia virus-derived protein, selectively induces apoptosis in transformed but not in normal cells, thus making it a promising candidate as a novel anticancer therapeutic. The mechanism of apoptin-induced apoptosis is largely unknown. Here, we report that contrary to previous assumptions, Bcl-2 and Bcl-x(L) inhibit apoptin-induced cell death in several tumor cell lines. In contrast, deficiency of Bax conferred resistance, whereas Bax expression sensitized cells to apoptin-induced death. Cell death induction by apoptin was associated with cytochrome c release from mitochondria as well as with caspase-3 and -7 activation. Benzyloxy-carbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone, a broad spectrum caspase inhibitor, was highly protective against apoptin-induced cell death. Apoptosis induced by apoptin required Apaf-1, as immortalized Apaf-1-deficient fibroblasts as well as tumor cells devoid of Apaf-1 were strongly protected. Thus, our data indicate that apoptin-induced apoptosis is not only Bcl-2- and caspase dependent, but also engages an Apaf-1 apoptosome-mediated mitochondrial death pathway.
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| 3. |
- Los, Marek Jan, et al.
(författare)
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Anticancer drugs of tomorrow : apoptotic pathways as targets for drug design
- 2003
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Ingår i: Drug Discovery Today. - : Elsevier. - 1359-6446 .- 1878-5832. ; 8:2, s. 67-77
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Apoptosis or programmed cell death is a set of ordered events that enables the selective removal of cells from tissue and is essential for homeostasis and proper function of multicellular organisms. Components of this signaling network, which include ligands, such as CD95, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand, as well as downstream molecules, such as caspases, Bcl-2 family members, and inhibitor-of-apoptosis proteins, which trigger and regulate apoptosis, are crucial targets for conventional drug development and gene therapy of cancer and other diseases. Here, we focus on apoptotic pathways and propose new potential molecular targets that could prove effective in controlling cell death in the clinical setting.
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