Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress caused by misfolded proteins or cytotoxic drugs can kill cells and although activation of this pathway has been implicated in the etiology of certain degenerative disorders its mechanism remains unresolved. Bim, a proapoptotic BH3-only member of the Bcl-2 family is required for initiation of apoptosis induced by cytokine deprivation or certain stress stimuli. I...

Cadmium (Cd) is a reproductive toxicant that induces germ cell apoptosis in the testes. Previous studies have demonstrated that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is involved in Cd-induced germ cell apoptosis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an antioxidant, on Cd-induced ER stress and germ cell apoptosis in the testes. Male CD-1 mice were in...

The effects of therapeutic angiogenesis by intramuscular injection of early pro-angiogenic cells (EPCs) to ischemic limbs are unsatisfactory. Oxidative stress in the ischemic limbs may accelerate apoptosis of injected EPCs, leading to less neovascularization. Forkhead transcription factor 4 (FOXO4) was reported to play a pivotal role in apoptosis signaling of EPCs in response to oxidative stres...

Our previous studies showed that overexpression of secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) induced autophagy-mediated apoptosis in PNET cells. In the present study, we attempted to elucidate the molecular mechanisms and signaling cascades associated with SPARC overexpression in combination with radiation therapy that eventually leads to autophagy-mediated apoptosis in neuroblastoma...

Prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4) is a tumor suppressor protein that forms a complex with glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) to induce apoptosis. Previously, we reported that ER stress-induced apoptosis is a critical host defense mechanism against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). We sought to understand the role of Par-4 during ER stress-induced apoptosis in response to mycobacterial inf...

OBJECTIVE Thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1), one important antioxidative enzyme in endothelial cells, is required for apoptosis inhibition. Apoptosis induction is dependent on cytoskeletal changes, which depend on actin rearrangements. Therefore, we wanted to elucidate whether a physical interaction exists between Trx-1 and actin and what the functional consequences are. METHODS AND RESULTS Combined immu...

Recently we demonstrated that mechanical stress induces apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro and in vein grafts (Mayr et al. FASEB J. 2000;15:261-270). The current study was designed to investigate molecular mechanisms of mechanical stretch-induced apoptosis. Smooth muscle cells cultivated on silicone elastomer plates precoated with collagen I, elastin, laminin, or Pronectin were ...

Hepatocyte apoptosis plays important roles in both the removal of external microorganisms and the occurrence and development of liver diseases. Different conditions, such as virus infection, fatty liver disease, hepatic ischemia reperfusion, and drug-induced liver injury, are accompanied by hepatocyte apoptosis. This review summarizes recent research on the mechanism of hepatocyte apoptosis inv...

Fenretinide [N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-retinamide (4HPR)] is a synthetic retinoid with antitumor activity that induces apoptosis in various types of cancer cell. We showed previously that 4HPR upregulates the proapoptotic gene placental bone morphogenetic protein (PLAB), which is a mediator of 4HPR-induced apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells. Here, we investigated the signaling cascade involving PLAB t...

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is activated during and contributes to ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Attenuation of ER stress-induced apoptosis protects the heart against I/R injury. Using apelin, a ligand used to activate the apelin APJ receptor, which is known to be cardioprotective, this study was designed to investigate 1) the time course of changes in I/R injury after ER stress; 2) ...