The Bcl-2 family of proteins plays a critical role regulating apoptosis, and pro-survival Bcl-2 family members are important therapeutic targets due to their overexpression in different cancers. Pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 homology 3 (BH3)-only proteins antagonize pro-survival Bcl-2 protein functions by binding directly to them, and a sub-class of BH3-only proteins termed sensitizers can initiate apopt...

KRAS is mutated in about 20-25% of all human cancers and especially in pancreatic, lung and colorectal tumors. Oncogenic KRAS stimulates several pro-survival pathways, but it also triggers the trans-activation of pro-apoptotic genes. In our work, we show that G13D mutations of KRAS activate the MAPK pathway, and ERK2, but not ERK1, up-regulates Noxa basal levels. Accordingly, premalignant epith...

Intracellular protein levels of p53 and MDM2 have been shown to oscillate in response to ionizing radiation (IR), but the physiological significance of these oscillations remains unclear. The p53-MDM2 negative feedback loop -- the putative cause of the oscillations -- is embedded in a network involving a mutual antagonism (or positive feedback loop) between p53 and AKT. We have shown earlier th...

Background/Aim. The main cause for development of endometrial hyperplasia is unopposed effect estrogen on cells. aim our study was to investigate and compare cytotoxic apoptotic effects mifepristone human stromal cell line the first time. Both percentage cells were determined after 24 h treatment with different doses mifepristone. Methods. evaluated by viability assay while using flow cytometry...

Paradoxically, many microRNAs appear to exhibit entirely opposite functions when placed in different contexts. For example, miR-125b has been shown be pro-apoptotic some studies, but anti-apoptotic others. To investigate this phenomenon, we combine computational modeling with experimental approaches examine how the function of apoptosis varies respect expression levels its and targets. In so do...

The cysteine protease caspase-8 plays an essential role in apoptosis induced by death receptors. The protein synthesis inhibitor acetoxycycloheximide (Ac-CHX) has been previously shown to induce rapid apoptosis mediated by the release of cytochrome c in human leukemia Jurkat cells. In this study, the novel molecular mechanism that links caspase-8 to the mitochondrial release of pro-apoptotic pr...

The ability of the transcription factor NF-kappaB to upregulate anti-apoptotic proteins has been linked to the chemoresistance of solid tumors to standard chemotherapy. In contrast, recent studies have proposed that, in response to doxorubicin, NF-kappaB can be pro-apoptotic through repression of anti-apoptotic target genes. However, there is little evidence analyzing the outcome of NF-kappaB i...

Lantana ukambensis (Vatke) Verdc. is an African food and medicinal plant. Its red fruits are eaten and highly appreciated by the rural population. This plant was extensively used in African folk medicinal traditions to treat chronic wounds but also as anti-leishmanial or cytotoxic remedies, especially in Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Kenya, or Ethiopia. This study investigates the in vitro bioactivit...

The New World screwworm fly, Cochliomyia hominivorax, and the Australian sheep blow fly, Lucilia cuprina, are major pests of livestock. The sterile insect technique was used to eradicate C. hominivorax from North and Central America. This involved area-wide releases of male and female flies that had been sterilized by radiation. Genetic systems have been developed for making 'male-only' strains...

Background: As a novel pro-apoptotic kinase, Mammalian sterile 20–like kinase 1 (Mst1) promotes programmed cell death in animal models of inflammatory diseases. This research aimed to determine the level of expression of Mst1 gene in a rat model of spinal cord injury (SCI) treated with valproic acid (VPA). Methods: Animals were divided into four groups: Contused animals (untreated); laminectom...