A Bax- and, apparently, mitochondria-dependent increase in superoxide (O(2)(·-)) and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) occurs in apoptotic superior cervical ganglion (SCG) and cerebellar granule (CG) neurons. Here we show that Bax also lies upstream of ROS produced in nonapoptotic neurons and present evidence that caspases partially mediate the pro-oxidant effect of Bax. We used the O(2)(·-)-...

PURPOSE A nonsynonymous coding variant in the manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2) gene (V16A, rs4880) has been implicated in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However, the findings have been inconsistent. Two studies in Japanese populations reported an opposite direction of association of the same allele at the V16A variant, whereas one study in a Northern Irish population f...

OBJECTIVE Transforming growth factor-β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) is a mitogen-activated protein 3-kinase and an AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) kinase in some cell types. Although TAK1(-/-) mice display defects in developmental vasculogenesis, the role of TAK1 in endothelial cells has not been investigated in detail. APPROACH AND RESULTS TAK1 downregulation (small interfering RNA) in huma...

Oxidative stress is significant in numerous types of cancer. Tobacco smoke, an important risk factor for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), is able to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cause oxidative DNA damage. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an endogenous antioxidant enzyme that is critical in limiting the oxidative burden effectively. The purpose of this study was to investigate th...

An alteration of mitochondrial function can result in disruption of redox homeostasis and is associated with abnormal cancer cell growth. Manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4) are two of the most important antioxidant defense enzymes that protect cells against oxidative stress. We had previously shown that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) promote colono...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) has been associated with inflammation. One possible mechanism may involve oxidative stress as reactive oxygen species (ROS) can generate pro-inflammatory signals. Anti-oxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase protect against the harmful effects of ROS. Genetic variation in the genes cod...

Acquired resistance of cancer cells to anticancer drugs or ionizing radiation (IR) is one of the major obstacles in cancer treatment. Pancreatic cancer is an exceptional aggressive cancer, and acquired drug resistance in this cancer is common. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an essential role in cell apoptosis, which is a key mechanism by which radio- or chemotherapy induce cell killing. Mit...

Osteogenic differentiation is crucial for the maintenance of bone homeostasis. Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3), a member of sirtuins family, functions as a critical deacetylase that regulates many key proteins. In the current study, we aimed to clarify the role of SIRT3 in osteogenic differentiation and the possible mechanisms, using mouse pre-osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells. Expression of SIRT3 was substantiall...

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) plays a key role in the detoxification of superoxide free radicals. We evaluated the association of prostate cancer with genetic polymorphisms in SOD1 (CuZn-SOD; IVS3-251A>G), SOD2 [MnSOD; Ex2+24T>C (V16A)], and SOD3 (EC-SOD; IVS1+186C>T, Ex3-631C>G, Ex3-516C>T, and Ex3-489C>T), the three main isoforms of SOD. Prostate cancer cases (n = 1,320) from the screening arm o...