Caspase activation

2003 ◽  
Vol 70 ◽  
pp. 233-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly M. Boatright ◽  
Guy S. Salvesen
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Proteolytic Cleavage ◽  
Caspase Activation ◽  
Point Of No Return ◽  
Initiator Caspases ◽  
Executioner Caspases ◽  
Activation Event

Caspase activation is the 'point of no return' commitment to cell death. Synthesized as inactive zymogens, it is essential that the caspases remain inactive until the death signal is received. It is known for the downstream executioner caspases-3 and -7 that the activation event is proteolytic cleavage, and this had been assumed to apply to the initiator caspases as well. However, recent studies conducted on caspases-2, -8 and -9 have challenged this tenet of caspase activation. In this review we focus on the molecular details of caspase activation, with emphasis on recent work that provides a pleasing explanation for the differential requirements for the activation of executioner and initiator caspases.

scholarly journals Caspases from scleractinian coral show unique regulatory features

2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (43) ◽  
pp. 14578-14591
Author(s):  
Suman Shrestha ◽  
Jessica Tung ◽  
Robert D. Grinshpon ◽  
Paul Swartz ◽  
Paul T. Hamilton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Apoptotic Cell ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Substrate Selection ◽  
Porites Astreoides ◽  
Orbicella Faveolata ◽  
Initiator Caspases ◽  
Coral Stress ◽  
Biochemical Analyses ◽  
Executioner Caspases

Coral reefs are experiencing precipitous declines around the globe with coral diseases and temperature-induced bleaching being primary drivers of these declines. Regulation of apoptotic cell death is an important component in the coral stress response. Although cnidaria are known to contain complex apoptotic signaling pathways, similar to those in vertebrates, the mechanisms leading to cell death are largely unexplored. We identified and characterized two caspases each from Orbicella faveolata, a disease-sensitive reef-building coral, and Porites astreoides, a disease-resistant reef-building coral. The caspases are predicted homologs of the human executioner caspases-3 and -7, but OfCasp3a (Orbicella faveolata caspase-3a) and PaCasp7a (Porites astreoides caspase-7a), which we show to be DXXDases, contain an N-terminal caspase activation/recruitment domain (CARD) similar to human initiator/inflammatory caspases. OfCasp3b (Orbicella faveolata caspase-3b) and PaCasp3 (Porites astreoides caspase-3), which we show to be VXXDases, have short pro-domains, like human executioner caspases. Our biochemical analyses suggest a mechanism in coral which differs from that of humans, where the CARD-containing DXXDase is activated on death platforms but the protease does not directly activate the VXXDase. The first X-ray crystal structure of a coral caspase, of PaCasp7a determined at 1.57 Å resolution, reveals a conserved fold and an N-terminal peptide bound near the active site that may serve as a regulatory exosite. The binding pocket has been observed in initiator caspases of other species. These results suggest mechanisms for the evolution of substrate selection while maintaining common activation mechanisms of CARD-mediated dimerization.

scholarly journals Gossypol Treatment Restores Insufficient Apoptotic Function of DFF40/CAD in Human Glioblastoma Cells

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 5579
Author(s):  
Laura Martínez-Escardó ◽  
Montse Alemany ◽  
María Sánchez-Osuna ◽  
Alejandro Sánchez-Chardi ◽  
Meritxell Roig-Martínez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Brain Tumor ◽  
Death Process ◽  
Caspase Activation ◽  
Nuclear Fragmentation ◽  
Point Of No Return ◽  
Cell Death Process ◽  
Confocal Images ◽  
Almost All

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor and almost all patients die because of relapses. GBM-derived cells undergo cell death without nuclear fragmentation upon treatment with different apoptotic agents. Nuclear dismantling determines the point-of-no-return in the apoptotic process. DFF40/CAD is the main endonuclease implicated in apoptotic nuclear disassembly. To be properly activated, DFF40/CAD should reside in the cytosol. However, the endonuclease is poorly expressed in the cytosol and remains cumulated in the nucleus of GBM cells. Here, by employing commercial and non-commercial patient-derived GBM cells, we demonstrate that the natural terpenoid aldehyde gossypol prompts DFF40/CAD-dependent nuclear fragmentation. A comparative analysis between gossypol- and staurosporine-treated cells evidenced that levels of neither caspase activation nor DNA damage were correlated with the ability of each compound to induce nuclear fragmentation. Deconvoluted confocal images revealed that DFF40/CAD was almost completely excluded from the nucleus early after the staurosporine challenge. However, gossypol-treated cells maintained DFF40/CAD in the nucleus for longer times, shaping a ribbon-like structure piercing the nuclear fragments and building a network of bridged masses of compacted chromatin. Therefore, GBM cells can fragment their nuclei if treated with the adequate insult, making the cell death process irreversible.

A novel proteolytic cleavage of ROCK 1 in cell death: Not only by caspases 3 and 7 but also by caspase 2

2021 ◽  
Vol 547 ◽  
pp. 118-124
Author(s):  
Aysun Özdemir ◽  
Burçin İbişoğlu ◽  
Yaprak Dilber Şimay Demir ◽  
Elifnur Benhür ◽  
Farzaneh Valipour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Proteolytic Cleavage ◽  
Caspase 2

scholarly journals An Early and Robust Activation of Caspases Heads Cells for a Regulated Form of Necrotic-like Cell Death

2015 ◽  
Vol 290 (34) ◽  
pp. 20841-20855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mercè Garcia-Belinchón ◽  
María Sánchez-Osuna ◽  
Laura Martínez-Escardó ◽  
Carla Granados-Colomina ◽  
Sònia Pascual-Guiral ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Chromatin Condensation ◽  
Biochemical Network ◽  
Display Type ◽  
Nuclear Morphology ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Caspase Activation ◽  
Membrane Leakage ◽  
Nuclear Alterations

Apoptosis is triggered by the activation of caspases and characterized by chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation (type II nuclear morphology). Necrosis is depicted by a gain in cell volume (oncosis), swelling of organelles, plasma membrane leakage, and subsequent loss of intracellular contents. Although considered as different cell death entities, there is an overlap between apoptosis and necrosis. In this sense, mounting evidence suggests that both processes can be morphological expressions of a common biochemical network known as “apoptosis-necrosis continuum.” To gain insight into the events driving the apoptosis-necrosis continuum, apoptotically proficient cells were screened facing several apoptotic inducers for the absence of type II apoptotic nuclear morphologies. Chelerythrine was selected for further studies based on its cytotoxicity and the lack of apoptotic nuclear alterations. Chelerythrine triggered an early plasma membrane leakage without condensed chromatin aggregates. Ultrastructural analysis revealed that chelerythrine-mediated cytotoxicity was compatible with a necrotic-like type of cell death. Biochemically, chelerythrine induced the activation of caspases. Moreover, the inhibition of caspases prevented chelerythrine-triggered necrotic-like cell death. Compared with staurosporine, chelerythrine induced stronger caspase activation detectable at earlier times. After using a battery of chemicals, we found that high concentrations of thiolic antioxidants fully prevented chelerythrine-driven caspase activation and necrotic-like cell death. Lower amounts of thiolic antioxidants partially prevented chelerythrine-mediated cytotoxicity and allowed cells to display type II apoptotic nuclear morphology correlating with a delay in caspase-3 activation. Altogether, these data support that an early and pronounced activation of caspases can drive cells to undergo a form of necrotic-like regulated cell death.

scholarly journals Caspase-8 deficiency induces a switch from TLR3 induced apoptosis to lysosomal cell death in neuroblastoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Anaïs Locquet ◽  
Gabriel Ichim ◽  
Joseph Bisaccia ◽  
Aurelie Dutour ◽  
Serge Lebecque ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Neuroblastoma Cell ◽  
Death Receptor ◽  
Neuroblastoma Cell Line ◽  
Caspase 8 ◽  
Caspase Activation ◽  
Extrinsic Pathway ◽  
Lysosomal Membrane Permeabilization ◽  
Induced Apoptosis

AbstractIn cancer cells only, TLR3 acquires death receptor properties by efficiently triggering the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis with Caspase-8 as apical protease. Here, we demonstrate that in the absence of Caspase-8, activation of TLR3 can trigger a form of programmed cell death, which is distinct from classical apoptosis. When TLR3 was activated in the Caspase-8 negative neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y, cell death was accompanied by lysosomal permeabilization. Despite caspases being activated, lysosomal permeabilization as well as cell death were not affected by blocking caspase-activity, positioning lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) upstream of caspase activation. Taken together, our data suggest that LMP with its deadly consequences represents a “default” death mechanism in cancer cells, when Caspase-8 is absent and apoptosis cannot be induced.

scholarly journals Live-Cell Imaging of Caspase Activation for High-Content Screening

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 956-969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe Antczak ◽  
Toshimitsu Takagi ◽  
Christina N. Ramirez ◽  
Constantin Radu ◽  
Hakim Djaballah
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Live Cell Imaging ◽  
Cell Imaging ◽  
Exposure Period ◽  
Live Cells ◽  
Assay Method ◽  
Caspase Activation ◽  
Fluorogenic Substrate ◽  
Automated Imaging ◽  
First Time

Caspases are central to the execution of programmed cell death, and their activation constitutes the biochemical hallmark of apoptosis. In this article, the authors report the successful adaptation of a high-content assay method using the DEVDNucView488™ fluorogenic substrate, and for the first time, they show caspase activation in live cells induced by either drugs or siRNA. The fluorogenic substrate was found to be nontoxic over an exposure period of several days, during which the authors demonstrate automated imaging and quantification of caspase activation of the same cell population as a function of time. Overexpression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-XL, alone or in combination with the inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK, attenuated caspase activation in HeLa cells exposed to doxorubicin, etoposide, or cell death siRNA. This method was further validated against 2 well-characterized NSCLC cell lines reported to be sensitive (H3255) or refractory (H2030) to erlotinib, where the authors show a differential time-dependent activation was observed for H3255 and no significant changes in H2030, consistent with their respective chemosensitivity profile. In summary, the results demonstrate the feasibility of using this newly adapted and validated high-content assay to screen chemical or RNAi libraries for the identification of previously uncovered enhancers and suppressors of the apoptotic machinery in live cells. ( Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2009:956-969)

Reactive oxygen species and caspase activation mediate silica-induced apoptosis in alveolar macrophages

2001 ◽  
Vol 280 (1) ◽  
pp. L10-L17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Han-Ming Shen ◽  
Zhuo Zhang ◽  
Qi-Feng Zhang ◽  
Choon-Nam Ong
Keyword(s):  
Reactive Oxygen Species ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Alveolar Macrophages ◽  
Caspase 3 ◽  
Reactive Oxygen ◽  
Parp Cleavage ◽  
Oxygen Species ◽  
Caspase Activation ◽  
Caspase 9 ◽  
Induced Apoptosis

Alveolar macrophages (AMs) are the principal target cells of silica and occupy a key position in the pathogenesis of silica-related diseases. Silica has been found to induce apoptosis in AMs, whereas its underlying mechanisms involving the initiation and execution of apoptosis are largely unknown. The main objective of the present study was to examine the form of cell death caused by silica and the mechanisms involved. Silica-induced apoptosis in AMs was evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling assay and cell cycle/DNA content analysis. The elevated level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), caspase-9 and caspase-3 activation, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage in silica-treated AMs were also determined. The results showed that there was a temporal pattern of apoptotic events in silica-treated AMs, starting with ROS formation and followed by caspase-9 and caspase-3 activation, PARP cleavage, and DNA fragmentation. Silica-induced apoptosis was significantly attenuated by a caspase-3 inhibitor, N-acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp aldehyde, and ebselen, a potent antioxidant. These findings suggest that apoptosis is an important form of cell death caused by silica exposure in which the elevated ROS level that results from silica exposure may act as an initiator, leading to caspase activation and PARP cleavage to execute the apoptotic process.

scholarly journals Have necrohormones a role in embryogenesis?

2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 7-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Bell
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Somatic Embryogenesis ◽  
Programmed Cell Death ◽  
Picea Abies ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Normal Development ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Embryogenic Cultures ◽  
Conflicting Evidence ◽  
Apomictic Reproduction

The recognition of apoptosis (programmed cell death) as an accompaniment of normal development, the products released by the protoplasts undergoing self-destruction being utilized by adjacent living cells, stimulates renewed interest in Haberlandt's concept of "necrohormones" playing a role in apomictic reproduction. Recent work on somatic embryogenesis in carrot shows that regular death of certain cells in embryogenic cultures satifies the criteria of apoptosis. Similar observations have been made with embryogenic cultures of <em>Picea abies</em>. Haberlandt's claim that cell death induced by injury adjacent to an ovule in <em>Oenothera</em> could lead to parthenogenesis, despite conflicting evidence from later experimenters, is worthy of reexamination.

scholarly journals Dynamics of in vivo ASC speck formation

2017 ◽  
Vol 216 (9) ◽  
pp. 2891-2909 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Kuri ◽  
Nicole L. Schieber ◽  
Thomas Thumberger ◽  
Joachim Wittbrodt ◽  
Yannick Schwab ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Inflammasome Activation ◽  
Caspase Activation ◽  
Endogenous Gene ◽  
Pyrin Domain ◽  
Effector Caspase

Activated danger or pathogen sensors trigger assembly of the inflammasome adaptor ASC into specks, large signaling platforms considered hallmarks of inflammasome activation. Because a lack of in vivo tools has prevented the study of endogenous ASC dynamics, we generated a live ASC reporter through CRISPR/Cas9 tagging of the endogenous gene in zebrafish. We see strong ASC expression in the skin and other epithelia that act as barriers to insult. A toxic stimulus triggered speck formation and rapid pyroptosis in keratinocytes in vivo. Macrophages engulfed and digested that speck-containing, pyroptotic debris. A three-dimensional, ultrastructural reconstruction, based on correlative light and electron microscopy of the in vivo assembled specks revealed a compact network of highly intercrossed filaments, whereas pyrin domain (PYD) or caspase activation and recruitment domain alone formed filamentous aggregates. The effector caspase is recruited through PYD, whose overexpression induced pyroptosis but only after substantial delay. Therefore, formation of a single, compact speck and rapid cell-death induction in vivo requires a full-length ASC.

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