The photo-generated closed-ring isomer of bis(5-methyl-2-phenylthiazoyl)perfluorocyclopentene shows cytotoxicity to Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells through a caspase cascade and induces apoptosis of cells.

conclusions taken together, these data reveal that cellular protease of chicken liver cells allows the replication of high yields of h9n2 virus in the absence of trypsin and also cell death in the infected cells is due to necrosis. results the degree of viability was significantly reduced in infected hepatoma cells. observations of caspase activation and cell dna laddering in infected cells wer...

p2x7 receptors are purineric receptors that are extracellular atp-gated ion channel. these receptors require high dose or prolonged exposure to atp for initial activation. the activation of these receptors facilitates the formation of inflammasome which activates caspase 1. the p20 and p10 subunits of caspase 1 form active enzyme that then releases active interleukin (il)-1 β and il-18, tumor n...

Cytotoxic endoribonucleases (RNases) possess a potential for use in cancer therapy. However, the molecular determinants of RNase-induced cell death are not well understood. In this work, we identify such determinants of the cytotoxicity induced by onconase, an amphibian cytotoxic RNase. Onconase displayed a remarkable specificity for tRNA in vivo, leaving rRNA and mRNA apparently undamaged. Onc...

In many mammalian cell types, engagement of the TRAIL/Apo2L death receptors DR4 and DR5 alters mitochondrial physiology, thereby promoting the release of pro-apoptotic proteins normally contained within this organelle. A contemporary view of this process is that in so-called type II cells death receptor-activated caspase-8 cleaves the Bcl-2 family member Bid, which generates a truncated Bid fra...

Caspases have demonstrated several nonapoptotic functions including a role in the differentiation of specific cell types. Here, we show that caspase-8 is the upstream enzyme in the proteolytic caspase cascade whose activation is required for the differentiation of peripheral-blood monocytes into macrophages. On macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) exposure, caspase-8 associates with the...

Caspase-1 is a cysteine protease composed by two 20-kDa and two 10-kDa subunits that processes pro-IL-1beta and pro-IL-18 to their mature forms. This enzyme is present in cells as a latent zymogen that becomes active through a tightly regulated proteolytic cascade. Activation is initiated by the oligomerization of an adaptor molecule, or by the formation of a multiprotein complex named inflamma...

Neutrophils play a prominent role in host defense. Phagocytosis of bacteria leads to the formation of an active NADPH oxidase complex that generates reactive oxygen species for bactericidal purposes. A critical step in the resolution of inflammation is the uptake of neutrophils by macrophages; however, there are conflicting reports on the mechanisms leading to the apoptosis of phagocytic neutro...

We previously demonstrated that tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-induced ceramide production by endosomal acid sphingomyelinase (A-SMase) couples to apoptosis signalling via activation of cathepsin D and cleavage of Bid, resulting in caspase-9 and caspase-3 activation. The mechanism of TNF-mediated A-SMase activation within the endolysosomal compartment is poorly defined. Here, we show that TNF-ind...