OBJECTIVE To quantitate antiapoptotic and proapoptotic gene expression in endometrial cells (ECs) of women with and without endometriosis. DESIGN Determination of transcript abundance (TA) of apoptosis-regulating genes in eutopic and ectopic endometrial cells. SETTING Institute for the Study and Treatment of Endometriosis, Chicago, Illinois, and university-based research laboratories. PAT...

Although human c-IAP1 and c-IAP2 have been reported to possess antiapoptotic activity against a variety of stimuli in several mammalian cell types, we observed that full-length c-IAP1 and c-IAP2 failed to protect cells from apoptosis induced by Bax overexpression, tumor necrosis factor alpha treatment or Sindbis virus infection. However, deletion of the C-terminal RING domains of c-IAP1 and c-I...

Advances in our understanding of the mechanisms by which tumor cells detect drug-induced DNA damage leading to apoptotic death have aided in the design of novel, potentially more selective strategies for cancer treatment. Several of these strategies use proapoptotic factors and have shown promise in sensitizing tumor cells to the cytotoxic actions of traditional cancer chemotherapeutic drugs. A...

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling leads to pleiotropic responses in a wide range of cell types, in part by activating antiapoptotic and proapoptotic signaling pathways. Thus, although TNF can cause apoptosis and may prove useful in the treatment of malignancies, most cells are resistant to TNF-induced cell death unless de novo protein synthesis is inhibited. Previous studies suggested that ...

The contribution of basophils in allergic disease and other Th2-type immune responses depends on their persistence at sites of inflammation, but the ligands and molecular pathways supporting basophil survival are largely unknown. The comparison of rates of apoptosis and of the expression of antiapoptotic proteins in different human granulocyte types revealed that basophils have a considerably l...

The effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on endothelial cells is a key component of the inflammatory response seen in Gram-negative sepsis. LPS does not cause death of cultured human endothelial cells. However, when the expression of new proteins is inhibited by cycloheximide, microvascular endothelial cells in culture undergo apoptosis. This finding suggests that LPS induces apoptotic and antiap...

We have investigated the mechanism of antiapoptotic and cell renewal effects of lansoprazole, a proton pump inhibitor, to protect and heal gastric mucosal injury in vivo induced by indomethacin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Lansoprazole prevents indomethacin-induced gastric damage by blocking activation of mitochondrial and Fas pathways of apoptosis. Lansoprazole prevents ind...

Purpose To investigate the possible antiapoptotic effect of acetylcholine (ACh) in Fas-mediated apoptosis of primary human keratocytes in vitro, and to explore the underlying mechanism. Methods Primary human keratocytes were isolated from healthy corneas. Fas ligand (FasL) was used to induce apoptosis in keratocytes. Cell death was assessed by ELISA. Activity of caspase-3, -7, -8, and -9 was ...

Endothelin (ET)-1, an endothelium-derived vasoconstrictor and mitogen, acts as an antiapoptotic factor against serum deprivation–induced apoptosis of endothelial cells and fibroblasts but enhances apoptosis of some cancer cells. In the present study, we examined whether nitric oxide (NO) and ET-1 modulate apoptosis of rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) via the mitogen-activated protein (M...

The orphan nuclear receptor pregnane X receptor (PXR) plays an important role in the detoxification of foreign and endogenous chemicals, including bile acids. PXR promotes bile acid elimination by activating bile acid-detoxifying enzymes and transporters. Certain bile acids are known to promote colonic carcinogenesis by inducing colon cancer cell apoptosis. However, whether and how PXR plays a ...