BACKGROUND We previously reported the partial effectiveness of imatinib (also known as STI571, Glivec, or Gleevec) on anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) cells. Imatinib is a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has been used for various types of cancer treatments. Recently, several reports have demonstrated that imatinib enhanced the sensitivity of cancer cells to other anticancer drugs. In th...

The antiapoptotic proteins, Bcl-2 and Bcl-X(L), are expressed in most cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and may contribute to drug resistance in AML. We tested the hypothesis that down-regulation of Bcl-2 alone by antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (Bcl-2-AS) induces apoptosis, even in the presence of other antiapoptotic genes. We tested Bcl-2-AS in myeloid leukemic HL-60 cells, in Bcl-2 and B...

Elevated serum concentrations of the hormone gastrin are associated with the development of gastric carcinoid tumors, but the mechanisms of tumor development are not fully understood. We hypothesized that the antiapoptotic effects of gastrin may be implicated and have therefore investigated the role of antiapoptotic members of the bcl-2 family of proteins. AGS-G(R) human gastric carcinoma cells...

Currently, malignant diseases are one of the leading causes mortality worldwide. Antarctic yeasts represent a poorly explored source novel bioactive compounds with antineoplastic activity and expected favourable toxicological profile. The aim work was evaluation antiproliferative proapoptotic potential extracts obtained from psychrophilic strain Sporobolomyces roseus AL103. Data MTT dye reducti...

PURPOSE Establishment of antiapoptotic signaling pathways in tumor cells is a major cause for the failure of chemotherapy against cancer. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, we developed an experimental approach that is based on the genetic plasticity of cancer cells and the selection for cell survival on treatment with chemotherapeutic agents. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Gene expression change...

Tumoral lymphocytes from patients with B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) are long-lived cells in vivo, but they die rapidly by apoptosis in vitro. Here, it is reported that endothelial cells (ECs) inhibit the apoptosis of B-CLL cells, as determined by 4 different flow cytometric methods, and that this antiapoptotic effect is mediated mainly by soluble factor(s), as can be deduced from the ...

Nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to exert antiproliferative and antiapoptotic effects on human T cells. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), which degrades heme into biliverdin, free iron (Fe(2+)), and carbon monoxide (CO), has also been known to have antiproliferative and antiapoptotic effects. Recent evidence suggests that HO-1 is an important cellular target of NO; whether HO-1 expression contributes to...

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are increasingly considered to be responsible for tumor initiation, metastasis and drug resistance. The drug resistance mechanisms activated in CSCs have not been thoroughly investigated. Although neuropeptides such as vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) can promote tumor growth and activate antiapoptotic signaling in differentiated cancer cells, it is not known whether...

During the past decade, much interest has been focused on the potential utility of monoamine oxidase (MAO) type B inhibitors in neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Parkinson’s disease. In this respect, R-deprenyl is the gold standard to which novel therapeutics are compared, providing symptomatic relief when administered either alone or in combination with L-dopa (9,96). While there is li...

The aberrant expression of membrane mucins such as Muc1 and Muc4 by tumor cells has been shown to engage signaling pathways that promote cellular properties associated with tumor progression. Our previous studies have shown that Muc4 interacts with and potentiates signaling by the ErbB2 (HER2) receptor tyrosine kinase through an epidermal growth factor-like domain in its extracellular region. H...