factor, DNA-damaging reagents, Ca2@ ionophore, and serum deple tion (13, 14). Both apoptosis and chemical hypoxia-induced necrotic cell death were inhibited by the presence of Bcl-2 or CrmA (caspase inhibitor encoded by cowpox virus), or by treatment with the tetrapep tide ICE inhibitor, Ac-YVAD-CHO, indicating some common steps in the death signaling pathway ( 12, 13). Similarly, hypoxic hepat...

The lysosomal aspartic protease cathepsin D (cath-D) is overexpressed and hyper-secreted by epithelial breast cancer cells. This protease is an independent marker of poor prognosis in breast cancer as it is correlated with the incidence of clinical metastasis. In normal cells, cath-D is localized in intracellular vesicles (lysosomes and endosomes). In cancer cells, overexpressed cath-D accumula...

BACKGROUND The endothelial protein C receptor plays an important role within the protein C pathway in regulating coagulation and inflammation. Recently, we described that endothelial protein C receptor can be released in vitro in microparticulate form from primary endothelial cells by exogenous activated protein C. Activated protein C bound to this endothelial protein C receptor retains anticoa...

The hypothesis that cytoplasmic proteases play a functional role in programmed cell death was tested by examining the effect of protease inhibitors on the T cell receptor-mediated death of the 2B4 murine T cell hybridoma and activated T cells. The cysteine protease inhibitors trans-epoxysuccininyl-L-leucylamido-(4-guanidino) butane (E-64) and leupeptin, the calpain selective inhibitor acetyl-le...

Minimal ectopic expression of a 58-kDa protein kinase (PITSLRE beta 1), distantly related to members of the cdc2 gene family, induces telophase delay, abnormal chromosome segregation, and decreased growth rates in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Here we show that this decrease in cell growth rate is due to apoptosis. Apoptosis is also induced by ectopic expression of an amino-terminal deletion mut...

BACKGROUND Several inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) are cleaved during apoptosis. Studies of the melanoma-associated IAP (ML-IAP) Livin, using recombinant molecules, have implicated both caspases 3/7 and the serine protease Omi/HtrA2 in its proteolytic cleavage. OBJECTIVE To characterize the apoptotic cleavage of Livin in melanocytic cells, and evaluate the role of known proteases. ME...

PURPOSE To study the role of caspase-like proteases, especially roles of more extensively characterized caspase-1 and caspase-2, in apoptotic photoreceptor cell degeneration in Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats. METHODS Both RCS and Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Cryosections of the retinas at various postnatal times were immunostained with antibodies against caspase-1 (interleukin-1beta-c...

the aim of this study was to determine the inhibitory effects of feed ingredients on protease activities of argyrosomus regius larvae using in vitro techniques. a. regius larvae fed on a commercial feeding procedure were sampled thirteen times, during the sampling period (from 3 to 32 days after hatching (dah)). the differences observed in protease activities of meagre larvae during the samplin...

Activation of apoptotic signalling in endothelial cells contributes to the detrimental effects of a variety of pathological stimuli. In investigating the molecular events underlying the anti-apoptotic effect of human plasma in cultured human endothelial cells, we unexpectedly uncovered a novel mechanism of apoptosis suppression by human plasma through an interaction between two previously unrel...

The accurate control of cell death is a vital aspect of development in metazoans and plays crucial roles in the prevention of disease. Apoptosis is the main form of regulated cell death in multicellular organisms, although there are other contributory pathways. During apoptosis, mammalian cells undergo dramatic changes in organelle structure ad organisation that define the apoptotic execution p...