There are conflicting reports on the role of cytochrome c during insect apoptosis. Our previous studies have showed that cytochrome c released from the mitochondria was an early event by western blot analysis and caspase-3 activation was closely related to cytochrome c release during apoptosis induced by baculovirus in Spodoptera litura cells (Sl-1 cell line). In the present study, alteration i...

We have previously shown that Chlamydia trachomatis inhibits host cell apoptosis and blocks mitochondrial cytochrome c release. We now report that activation of both Bax and Bak, two proapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family that regulate mitochondrial cytochrome c release, was inhibited in chlamydia-infected cells. This observation has provided new information on the mechanisms of chlamydial an...

Background: There are two fundamental forms of cell death: apoptosis and necrosis. Molecular studies of cell death thus far favor a model in which apoptosis and necrosis share very few molecular regulators. It appears that apoptotic processes triggered by a variety of stimuli converge on the activation of a member of the caspase family, such as caspase 3, which leads to the execution of apoptos...

We report here the purification of a cytosolic protein that induces cytochrome c release from mitochondria in response to caspase-8, the apical caspase activated by cell surface death receptors such as Fas and TNF. Peptide mass fingerprinting identified this protein as Bid, a BH3 domain-containing protein known to interact with both Bcl2 and Bax. Caspase-8 cleaves Bid, and the COOH-terminal par...

multiple sclerosis (ms) is a neurodegenerative and autoimmune disease that it’s molecular etiology and factors involving in its progression remains unknown. in this study for evaluation effect of mercuric on progression of ms we investigated the additive effect of mercuric sulfide on the brain mitochondrial dysfunction in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (eae) model of ms in c57bl/6 mi...

Background: Although the bio kinetics, metabolism and chemical toxicity of Atorvastatin are well known, until recently little attention was paid to the potential neurotoxic effect of Atorvastatin (Atv). Regarding the concrete evidences indicating Atv may reduce Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) levels through blockage of  metalonate cycle, the present work aims to determine if Atorvastatin may provide toxic...

Granzyme B (GraB) is required for the efficient activation of apoptosis by cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells. We find that GraB and perforin induce severe mitochondrial perturbation as evidenced by the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol and suppression of transmembrane potential (Deltapsi). The earliest mitochondrial event was the release of cytochrome c, which occurred at ...

A direct kinetic analysis is presented of rapid proton-releasing reactions at the outer or C-side of the membrane, in ox heart and rat liver mitochondria, associated with aerobic oxidation of reduced terminal respiratory carriers in the presence of antimycin. Valinomycin plus K+ enhances the rate of cytochrome c oxidation and the rate and extent of H+ release. In the presence of valinomycin the...