Human tissue inflammation is terminated, at least in part, by the death of inflammatory neutrophils by apoptosis. The regulation of this process is therefore key to understanding and manipulating inflammation resolution. Previous data have suggested that the short-lived pro-survival Bcl-2 family protein, Mcl-1, is instrumental in determining neutrophil lifespan. However, Mcl-1 can be cleaved fo...

The development of selective inhibitors for discrete anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family proteins implicated in pathologic cell survival remains a formidable but pressing challenge. Such precisely tailored compounds would serve as molecular probes and targeted therapies to study and treat human diseases driven by specific anti-apoptotic blockades. In particular, MCL-1 has emerged as a major resistance ...

Triple-negative breast cancer is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype. The aim of our study was to investigate the functional role of both miR-101 and MCL-1 in the sensitivity of human triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) to paclitaxel. We found that the expression of miR-101 was strongly decreased in triple-negative breast cancer tissues and cell lines. The expression of miR-101 was not a...

Human cholangiocarcinomas evade apoptosis by overexpression of Mcl-1. The drug obatoclax (GX15-070) inhibits antiapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family including Mcl-1. The purpose of this study is to determine if obatoclax sensitizes human cholangiocarcinoma cells to apoptosis. The human cholangiocarcinoma cell lines, KMCH, KMBC, and TFK, were employed for these studies. Protein expression was ...

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) selectively kills various types of cancer cells without harming normal cells, but TRAIL resistance has been frequently observed in cancer cells. Propolis (bee glue) is a material collected from various plants by honeybees and is a rich source of bioactive compounds, including the natural flavonoid chrysin, which possesses multiple ...

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of HeLa cells triggers an apoptotic response mediated by mitochondria. Biochemical analysis of this response revealed that the elimination of cytosolic inhibitors is required for mitochondrial release of cytochrome c and subsequent caspase activation. These inhibitors were found to be Mcl-1 and Bcl-xL, two antiapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family. Following UV trea...

One of the transcription-independent mechanisms of the tumor suppressor p53 discovered in recent years involves physical interaction between p53 and proteins of the Bcl-2 family. In this paper, significant differences between the interaction of p53 with Mcl-1 and Bcl-xL were demonstrated by NMR spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry. Bcl-xL was found to bind strongly to the p53 DNA-b...

We investigated apoptosis and the expression of bcl-2, mcl-1, bcl-X, and bax in histological sections from 35 malignant mesotheliomas and 21 metastatic adenocarcinomas. Moreover, the expression of bcl-2, mcl-1, bcl-X, and bax were assessed by Western blotting in nonmalignant human mesothelial cells (Met5A) and seven malignant cell lines. The apoptotic index in mesotheliomas was 1.07+/-1.14%. Pa...

To understand the molecular basis for variable sensitivity to the BH3 mimetic drug ABT-737, the abundance of Bcl-2 family members was assayed in a panel of small cell lung cancer cell lines whose sensitivity varied over a 2-log range. Elevated Noxa and Bcl-2 levels directly correlated with sensitivity to ABT-737, whereas Mcl-1 levels were similar in all cell lines tested regardless of sensitivi...

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) typically expresses B-cell antigens and CD5 and overexpresses bcl-1 protein. However, unusual cases of bcl-1+ and CD5-MCL have been observed, posing a practical challenge for correct diagnosis and management. We identified 25 cases (48 samples) of bcl-1+ and CD5- lymphoma. CD5 expression was assessed by flow cytometric analysis alone (1 case), immunohistochemical anal...