Biomedical subjects

Stan Krajewski

Publications and source records attributed to Stan Krajewski.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

The selective estrogen receptor modulator arzoxifene and the rexinoid LG100268 cooperate to promote transforming growth factor beta-dependent apoptosis in breast cancer.

We show that the selective estrogen receptor modulator arzoxifene (Arz) and the rexinoid LG100268 (268) synergize to promote apoptosis in a rat model of estrogen receptor-positive breast carcinoma and in estrogen receptor-positive human breast cancer cells in culture. We also show that it is not necessary to administer Arz and 268 continuously during tumor progression to prevent cancer in the rat model because dosing of these drugs in combination for relatively short periods, each followed by drug-free rests, is highly effective. This new approach to chemoprevention uses high doses of drugs that are too toxic for long-term administration. However, when given for short periods, the agents are nontoxic and still induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells. We also show that the ability of the two drugs to induce apoptosis is the combined result of induction of transforming growth factor beta by Arz, together with inhibition of the prosurvival nuclear factor kappaB and phosphatidylinositol 3' kinase signaling pathways by 268. The new protocol we have developed for chemoprevention allows the efficacious and safe administration of 268 and Arz, and these agents now should be considered for clinical use.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Early processing of Bid and caspase-6, -8, -10, -14 in the canine brain during cardiac arrest and resuscitation.

A clinically relevant model of transient global brain ischemia involving cardiac arrest followed by resuscitation in dogs was utilized to study the expression and proteolytic processing of apoptosis-regulatory proteins. In the hippocampus, an increase in pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins Bcl-XS and Bak was detected, concomitant with proteolysis of Bcl-XL and Bcl-2, following ischemia-reperfusion injury. Also, biphasic cleavage of Bid was found in this region of the brain, with early generation of tBid-p11 within 10 min of cardiac arrest, followed by generation of tBid-p15 within 30-min reperfusion, consistent with activation of this pro-apoptotic protein. In addition, cardiac arrest and resuscitation induced early, reperfusion-dependent proteolytic processing of pro-caspase-6, -8, -10, and -14, which preceded caspase-3 activation. Immunohistochemical analysis using antibodies, which preferentially recognize processed caspase-3, -6, -8, and -10, provided evidence of time-dependent activation of these proteases in both neurons and glia in ischemia-sensitive regions of the brain. In conclusion, extremely rapid, cell-selective processing of apoptosis-regulatory proteins occurs in a clinically relevant model of ischemic brain injury caused by cardiac arrest and resuscitation. The early cleavage of Bid and rapid depletion of 32-kDa pro-caspase-14 from the canine hippocampus after induction of ischemia suggests the involvement of calpains in the processing of these proteins. Demonstration of in vitro cleavage of recombinant mouse caspase-14 by calpain I in the present study lends support to this hypothesis, further implicating cross-talk between different protease families in the pathophysiology of ischemic neural cell death.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

PDX-1 haploinsufficiency limits the compensatory islet hyperplasia that occurs in response to insulin resistance.

Inadequate compensatory beta cell hyperplasia in insulin-resistant states triggers the development of overt diabetes. The mechanisms that underlie this crucial adaptive response are not fully defined. Here we show that the compensatory islet-growth response to insulin resistance in 2 models--insulin receptor (IR)/IR substrate-1 (IRS-1) double heterozygous mice and liver-specific IR KO (LIRKO) mice--is severely restricted by PDX-1 heterozygosity. Six-month-old IR/IRS-1 and LIRKO mice both showed up to a 10-fold increase in beta cell mass, which involved epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. In both models, superimposition of PDX-1 haploinsufficiency upon the background of insulin resistance completely abrogated the adaptive islet hyperplastic response, and instead the beta cells showed apoptosis resulting in premature death of the mice. This study shows that, in postdevelopmental states of beta cell growth, PDX-1 is a critical regulator of beta cell replication and is required for the compensatory response to insulin resistance.

Aging↗

PubMed2003

Elevated expression of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins in prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: Inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family proteins are suppressors of apoptosis that have been implicated in apoptosis resistance in some cancers. Their expression and relevance to the prognosis of prostate cancer were investigated. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The expression of four members of the IAP family (cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein 1, cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein 2, X chromosome-linked IAP, and survivin) was examined by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting in human prostate cancers and in prostate tissues from transgenic mice expressing SV40 large T antigen under control of a probasin promoter. RESULTS: Tumor-associated elevations in the levels of all four IAP family members were common in prostate cancers of both humans and mice, suggesting concomitant up-regulation of multiple IAP family proteins. Compared with normal prostatic epithelium, increased IAP expression was often evident even in prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia lesions (carcinoma in situ), suggesting that deregulation of IAP expression occurs early in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer. IAP expression did not correlate with Gleason grade or prostate-specific antigen levels. CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrate that tumor- associated elevations in the expression of several IAP family proteins occur as a frequent and early event in the etiology of prostate cancer.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

PG490-mediated sensitization of lung cancer cells to Apo2L/TRAIL-induced apoptosis requires activation of ERK2.

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (Apo2L/TRAIL) belongs to the family of programmed cell death-inducing cytokines. Apo2L/TRAIL induces apoptosis in a wide variety of tumor cells. Tumor cells that are resistant to Apo2L/TRAIL-induced apoptosis can be sensitized by chemotherapeutic drugs and other agents via an unknown mechanism. Here we report that PG490 (triptolide), a diterpene triepoxide extracted from the Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii and used in traditional Chinese medicine, sensitizes lung cancer but not normal human bronchial epithelial cells to Apo2L/TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Sensitization was accompanied by caspase-3 and caspase-8 activation, whereas no cleavage of caspase-9 was observed. Determination of cell surface receptors by flow cytometry demonstrated no difference in Apo2L/TRAIL-R1 and -R2 expression, the two receptors with functional death domains, between resistant and sensitized cells. In cells treated with the combination of Apo2L/TRAIL and PG490, we observed activation of ERK2, a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase family. Furthermore, sensitization could be blocked by the ERK inhibitor U0126 but not the p38 inhibitor SB203580, suggesting that activation of ERK2 is required for this effect. In addition, sensitization of lung cancer cells was also seen in ex vivo culture of lung cancer tissue from four patients who underwent surgery. Immunohistochemical staining showed a clear reduction in proliferation cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in tissue treated with Apo2L/TRAIL and PG490. In conclusion, apoptosis induced by the combination of Apo2L/TRAIL and PG490 warrants further evaluation as a potential new strategy for the treatment of lung cancer.

Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating↗

PubMed2003

In vivo calpain/caspase cross-talk during 3-nitropropionic acid-induced striatal degeneration: implication of a calpain-mediated cleavage of active caspase-3.

The role of caspases and calpains in neurodegeneration remains unclear. In this study, we focused on these proteases in a rat model of Huntington's disease using the mitochondrial toxin 3-nitropropionic acid (3NP). Results showed that 3NP-induced death of striatal neurons was preceded by cytochrome c redistribution, transient caspase-9 processing, and activation of calpain, whereas levels of the active/processed form of caspase-3 remained low and were even reduced as compared with control animals. We evidenced here that this decrease in active caspase-3 levels could be attributed to calpain activation. Several observations supported this conclusion. 1) Pharmacological blockade of calpain in 3NP-treated rats increased the levels of endogenous processed caspase-9 and caspase-3. 2) Cell-free extracts prepared from the striatum of 3NP-treated rats degraded in vitro the p34 and p20 subunits of active recombinant caspase-9 and caspase-3, respectively. 3) This degradation of p34 and p20 could be mimicked by purified mu-calpain and was prevented by calpain inhibitors. 4) mu-Calpain produced a loss of the DEVDase (Asp-Glu-Val-Asp) activity of active caspase-3. 5) Western blot analysis and experiments with 35S-radiolabeled caspase-3 showed that mu-calpain cleaved the p20 subunit of active caspase-3 near its catalytic site. 6) mu-Calpain activity was selectively inhibited (IC50 of 100 mum) by a 12 amino acid peptide corresponding to the C terminus of p20. Our results showed that calpain can down-regulate the caspase-9/caspase-3 cell death pathway during neurodegeneration due to chronic mitochondrial defects in vivo and that this effect may involve, at least in part, direct cleavage of the caspase-3 p20 subunit.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

cAMP promotes pancreatic beta-cell survival via CREB-mediated induction of IRS2.

The incretin hormone GLP1 promotes islet-cell survival via the second messenger cAMP. Here we show that mice deficient in the activity of CREB, caused by expression of a dominant-negative A-CREB transgene in pancreatic beta-cells, develop diabetes secondary to beta-cell apoptosis. Remarkably, A-CREB severely disrupted expression of IRS2, an insulin signaling pathway component that is shown here to be a direct target for CREB action in vivo. As induction of IRS2by cAMP enhanced activation of the survival kinase Akt in response to insulin and IGF-1, our results demonstrate a novel mechanism by which opposing pathways cooperate in promoting cell survival.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

BAG1 over-expression in brain protects against stroke.

The co-chaperone BAG1 binds and regulates 70 kDa heat shock proteins (Hsp70/Hsc70) and exhibits cytoprotective activity in cell culture models. Recently, we observed that BAG1 expression is induced during neuronal differentiation in the developing brain. However, the in vivo effects of BAG1 during development and after maturation of the central nervous system have never been examined. We generated transgenic mice over-expressing BAG1 in neurons. While brain development was essentially normal, cultured cortical neurons from transgenic animals exhibited resistance to glutamate-induced, apoptotic neuronal death. Moreover, in an in vivo stroke model involving transient middle cerebral artery occlusion, BAG1 transgenic mice demonstrated decreased mortality and substantially reduced infarct volumes compared to wild-type littermates. Interestingly, brain tissue from BAG1 transgenic mice contained higher levels of neuroprotective Hsp70/Hsc70 protein but not mRNA, suggesting a potential mechanism whereby BAG1 exerts its anti-apoptotic effects. In summary, BAG1 displays potent neuroprotective activity in vivo against stroke, and therefore represents an interesting target for developing new therapeutic strategies including gene therapy and small-molecule drugs for reducing brain injury during cerebral ischemia and neurodegenerative diseases.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Keratinocytes enriched for stem cells are protected from anoikis via an integrin signaling pathway in a Bcl-2 dependent manner.

Because inhibition of integrin signaling induces apoptosis, we investigated whether keratinocytes expressing beta1 and alpha6beta4 integrins (enriched for stem cells) are protected from cell death. Keratinocytes rapidly adhering to type IV collagen expressed highest levels of beta1 and alpha6beta4 and of the anti-apoptotic stem cell marker p63. Apoptotic cells were significantly higher in slowly adhering than in rapidly adhering keratinocytes. Anti-beta1 integrin caused a significant increase in apoptotic cells, while it decreased Bcl-2 levels in stem keratinocytes. Bax and Bad proteins were higher in slowly adhering than in rapidly adhering cells. By contrast, Bcl-2, Bcl-x and Mcl-1 proteins were highest in rapidly adhering keratinocytes and nearly absent in slowly adhering cells. After addition of anti-beta1 integrin, the apoptotic rate was significantly higher in HaCaT cells not expressing Bcl-2 than in controls. These results indicate that keratinocytes enriched for stem cells are protected from apoptosis via beta1 integrin, in a Bcl-2 dependent manner.

Anoikis↗

PubMed2002

Calpain and mitochondria in ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Studies of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and preconditioning have shown that ion homeostasis, particularly calcium homeostasis, is critical to limiting tissue damage. However, the relationship between ion homeostasis and specific cell death pathways has not been investigated in the context of I/R. Previously we reported that calpain cleaved Bid in the absence of detectable caspase activation (1). In this study, we have shown that an inhibitor of the sodium/hydrogen exchanger prevented calpain activation after I/R. Calpain inhibitors prevented cleavage of Bid as well as the downstream indices of cell death, including DNA strand breaks, creatine kinase (CK) release, and infarction measured by triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. In contrast, the broad spectrum caspase inhibitor IDN6734 was not protective in this model. To ascertain whether mitochondrial dysfunction downstream of these events was a required step, we utilized a peptide corresponding to residues 4-23 of Bcl-x(L) conjugated to the protein transduction domain of HIV TAT (TAT-BH4), which has been shown to protect mitochondria against Ca2+-induced deltaPsi(m) loss (2). TAT-BH4 attenuated CK release and loss of TTC staining, demonstrating the role of mitochondria and a pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member in the process leading to cell death. We propose the following pathway. (i) Reperfusion results in sodium influx followed by calcium accumulation. (ii) This leads to calpain activation, which in turn leads to Bid cleavage. (iii) Bid targets the mitochondria, causing dysfunction and release of pro-apoptotic factors, resulting in DNA fragmentation and death of the cell. Ischemia/reperfusion initiates a cell death pathway that is independent of caspases but requires calpain and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Apotosis-related proteins in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix.

OBJECTIVES: A loss of balance between proliferation and apoptosis leads to tumor formation. Normal cervical epithelium becomes dysplastic before potentially developing into carcinoma. This study was conducted to delineate the role of apoptosis-related proteins in various stages of development in cervical neoplasia. Both regulator and effector proteins were examined. METHODS: The expression of apoptosis-related proteins, including five members of the Bcl-2 family and two members of the caspase family, was evaluated in 26 low-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CIN-L), 37 high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CIN-H), and 43 cervical squamous cell carcinomas, using immunohistochemistry. Specimens showing cytosolic immunoreactivity in 10% or more of the neoplastic cells were considered immunopositive. RESULTS: One hundred six subjects were studied. All seven apoptotic regulators examined were positive in a proportion of these neoplasms. The expression of Caspase 3 was significantly higher in CIN-H than in CIN-L (P = 0.016). The expression of Bak, Caspase 3, and Caspase 6 was reduced in cervical carcinoma compared to CIN-H (P < 0.01, P = 0.026, P < 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: There is an increase in expression of Caspase 3 in CIN-H compared to CIN-L and the increase is thought to be related to the increased proliferative activity in dysplastic cells. The reduction of Bax, Caspase 3, and Caspase 6 expression in carcinoma indicates that the apoptotic mechanism has become defective in the process of malignant transformation.

Apoptosis↗