• Molecules and Cells
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.152-157
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• 2008

Caspases play critical roles in the execution of apoptosis. Caspase-3 and caspase-7 are closely related in sequence as well as in substrate specificity. The two caspases have overlapping substrate specificities with special preference for the DEVD motif. However, they are targeted to different subcellular locations during apoptosis, implying the existence of substrates specific for one or other caspase. To identify new caspase-7 substrates, we digested cell lysates obtained from the caspase-3-deficient MCF-7 cell line with purified recombinant caspase-7, and analyzed spots that disappeared or decreased by 2-DE (we refer to this as the caspase-7 degradome). Several proteins with various cellular functions underwent caspase-7-dependent proteolysis. The substrates of capase-7 identified by the degradomic approach were rather different from those of caspase-3 (Proteomics, 4, 3429-3435, 2004). Among the candidate substrates, we confirmed that Valosin-containing protein (VCP) was cleaved by both capspase-7 and caspase-3 in vitro and during apoptosis. Cleavage occurred at both $DELD^{307}$ and $DELD^{580}$. The degradomic study yielded several candidate caspase-7 substrates and their further analysis should provide valuables clues to the functions of caspase-7 during apoptosis.

• 통합자연과학논문집
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• 제7권1호
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• pp.25-38
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• 2014

Amyloid-${\beta}$-peptide ($A{\beta}$) is important in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Calpain ($Ca^{2+}$-dependent protease) and caspase-8 (the initiating caspase for the extrinsic, receptor-mediated apoptosis pathway) have been implicated in $AD/A{\beta}$ toxicity. We found that $A{\beta}$ promoted degradation of calpastatin (the specific endogenous calpain inhibitor); calpastatin degradation was prevented by inhibitors of either calpain or caspase-8. The results implied a cross-talk between the two proteases and suggested that one protease was responsible for the activity of the other one. In neuron-like differentiated PC12 cells, calpain promotes active caspase-8 formation from procaspase-8 via the $A{\beta}$ and CD95 pathways, along with degradation of the procaspase-8 processing inhibitor caspase-8 (FLICE)-like inhibitory protein, short isoform (FLIPS). Inhibition of calpain (by pharmacological inhibitors and by overexpression of calpastatin) prevents the cleavage of procaspase-8 to mature, active caspase-8, and inhibits FLIPS degradation in the $A{\beta}$-treated and CD95-triggered cells. Increased cellular Ca2+ per se results in calpain activation but does not lead to caspase-8 activation or FLIPS degradation. The results suggest that procaspase-8 and FLIPS association with cell membrane receptor complexes is required for calpain-induced caspase-8 activation. The results presented here add to the understanding of the roles of calpain, caspase- 8, and CD95 pathway in $AD/A{\beta}$ toxicity. Calpain-promoted activation of caspase-8 may have implications for other types of CD95-induced cell damage, and for nonapoptotic functions of caspase-8. Inhibition of calpain may be useful for modulating certain caspase-8-dependent processes.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제31권10호
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• pp.954-959
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• 2021

세포 사멸은 항상성을 유지하기 위해 세포군을 조절하는 중요한 메커니즘이며 시스테인 단백질분해효소 중 하나인 카스파제는 세포 사멸 경로의 중요한 중재자이다. Caspase-8은 세포외 자극에 의해 시작되는 외인성 세포자멸 경로의 개시자 카스파제이다. Caspase-8에는 보존된 도메인인 N-말단의 두개의 죽음 이펙터 도메인(DED)과 C-말단의 2개의 촉매 도메인을 가지며, 이는 이러한 외인성 세포자멸 경로에 중요하게 작용한다. 외인성 세포멸사 경로에서, TNF 슈퍼패밀리인 죽음 수용체는 세포 외부로부터의 죽음 수용체 특이적 리간드의 결합에 의해 활성화된다. 활성화된 죽음 수용체가 어댑터 단백질인 Fas-associated death domain 단백질(FADD)을 모집한 후, 죽음 수용체와 FADD의 죽음 도메인(DD)이 서로 결합하고 죽음 수용체와 결합한 FADD가 caspase-8의 전구체 형태인 procaspase-8을 모집한다. FADD와 procaspase-8의 죽음 이펙터 도메인은 서로 결합하고 FADD에 결합된 procaspase-8은 prodomain의 절단에 의해 활성화된다. 이 죽음 수용체-FADD-caspase-8 복합체는 세포사멸 유도 신호복합체(DISC)라고 한다. 세포 FLICE 억제 단백질(c-FLIPs)은 세포사멸을 억제하는 역할과 촉진하는 역할을 모두 수행하여 caspase-8의 활성화를 조절하고 caspase-8 활성화는 caspase-3와 같은 작동자 카스파제를 활성화를 시킨다. 마지막으로 활성화된 작동자 카스파제는 DNA 분해, 핵 응축, 세포막 수포 및 카스파제 기질의 단백질 분해에 작용하여 세포사멸을 완료한다.

• 대한치과교정학회지
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• 제33권6호
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• pp.453-463
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• 2003

본 연구는 MC3T3El 조골세포가 저산소증에 반응하여 유발될 수 있는 세포 고사조절 기전을 구명하고자 함에 목적이 있다. $2\%$ 저산소증의 조건하에서 MC3T3El 조골세포는 DNA 사다리 분절 헝성을 보였으며 형광성 염료인 Hoechst 33258로 염색된 핵 구조 형태 관찰시 시간이 지남에 따라 세포고사 현상을 관찰할 수 있었다 Pancaspase 억제제인 Z-VAD-FMK나 특정한 caspase-3 억제제인 Z-DEVD-CHO로 사전 처치하였을 경우에는 저산소증에 의한 DNA 사다리 분절형성이 농축에 비례하여 억제되었다. caspase-3류의 프로테아제(DEVDase) 활성 증가가 세포고사 중에 관찰되었으나 caspase-1 (YVADase)의 활성은 없었다. 어떤 caspase가 세포고사에 관여하는지를 확인하기 위하여 anti-caspase-3 또는 anti-caspase-6의 항체를 이용한 western blotting이 시행되었다. caspase-3의 활성산물에 해당하는 17-KDa단백질과 caspase-6의 활성산물인 20-KDa 단백질이 세포용해물에서 발생되었다. 또한 시간 경과와 더불어 caspase-6의 활동의 상징인 Lamin A의 분열을 일으켰으며, 사이토크롬 C를 cytosol로 방출하였다. 이로써 저산소증에 의한 조골세포의 고사 과정에 사이토크롬 C의 방출이 포함된 caspase의 활성이 관여한다는 것을 확인할 수 있었다.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제38권4호
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• pp.349-355
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• 2015

EphA7 has been implicated in the regulation of apoptotic cell death in neural epithelial cells. In this report, we provide evidence that EphA7 interacts with caspase-8 to induce apoptotic cell signaling. First, a pull-down assay using biotinylated ephrinA5-Fc showed that EphA7 co-precipitated with wild type caspase-8 or catalytically inactive caspase-8 mutant. Second, co-transfection of EphA7 with caspase-8 significantly increased the number of cleaved caspase-3 positive apoptotic cells under an experimental condition where transfection of EphA7 or caspase-8 alone did not affect cell viability or apoptosis. EphA4 also had a causative role in inducing apoptotic cell death with caspase-8, whereas EphA8 did not. Third, caspase-8 catalytic activity was essential for the apoptotic signaling cascade, whereas tyrosine kinase activity of the EphA4 receptor was not. Interestingly, we found that kinase-inactive EphA4 was well co-localized at the plasma membrane with catalytically inactive caspase-8, suggesting that an interaction between these mutant proteins was more stable. Finally, we observed that the extracellular region of the EphA7 receptor was critical for interacting with caspase-8, whereas the cytoplasmic region of EphA7 was not. Therefore, we propose that Eph receptors physically associate with a transmembrane protein to form an apoptotic signaling complex and that this unidentified receptor-like protein acts as a biochemical linker between the Eph receptor and caspase-8.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제24권5호
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• pp.719-723
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• 2014

Caspases are a family of cysteine proteases that play an important role in the apoptotic pathway. Caspase-6 is an apoptosis effector that cleaves a variety of cellular substrates. The active form of the enzyme is required for use in research. However, it has been difficult to obtain sufficient quantities of active caspase-6 from Escherichia coli. In the present study, we constructed a caspase-6 with a 23-amino-acid deletion in the pro-domain. This engineered enzyme was expressed as a soluble protein in E. coli and was purified using affinity resin. In vitro enzyme assay and cleavage analysis revealed that the engineered active caspase-6 protein had characteristics similar to those of wild-type caspase-6. This novel method can be a valuable tool for obtaining active caspase-6 that can be used for screening caspase-6-specific substrates, which in turn can be used to elucidate the function of caspase-6 in apoptosis.

• BMB Reports
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.445-453
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• 2004

We identified apoptosis as being a significant mechanism of toxicity following the exposure of HeLa cell cultures to abrin holotoxin, which is in addition to its inhibition of protein biosynthesis by N-glycosidase activity. The treatment of HeLa cell cultures with abrin resulted in apoptotic cell death, as characterized by morphological and biochemical changes, i.e., cell shrinkage, internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, the occurrence of hypodiploid DNA, chromatin condensation, nuclear breakdown, DNA single strand breaks by TUNEL assay, and phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization. This apoptotic cell death was accompanied by caspase-9 and caspase-3 activation, as indicated by the cleavage of caspase substrates, which was preceded by mitochondrial cytochrome c release. The broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor, benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone (zVAD-fmk), prevented abrin-triggered caspase activation and partially abolished apoptotic cell death, but did not affect mitochondrial cytochrome c release. These results suggest that the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c, and the sequential caspase-9 and caspase-3 activations are important events in the signal transduction pathway of abrin-induced apoptotic cell death in the HeLa cell line.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제27권8호
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• pp.834-839
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• 2004

In human neuroblastoma SK-N-BE(2) cells undergoing apoptotic death induced by ginsenos-ide Rh2, a dammarane glycoside that was isolated from Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, caspase-1 and caspase-3 were activated. The expression of Bax was increased in the cells treated with ginsenoside Rh2, whereas Bcl-2 expression was not altered. Treatment with caspase-1 inhibi-tor, Ac-YVAD-CMK, or caspase-3 inhibitor, Z-DEVD-FMK, partially inhibited ginsenoside Rh2-induced cell death but almost suppressed the cleavage of the 116 kDa PARP into a 85 kDa fragment. When the levels of p53 were examined in this process, p53 accumulated rapidly in the cells treated early with ginsenoside Rh2. These results suggest that activation of caspase-1 and -3 and the up-regulation of Bax are required in order for apoptotic death of SK-N-BE(2) cells to be induced by ginsenoside Rh2, and p53 plays an important role in the pathways to promote apoptosis.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.73-77
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• 2006

Caspase-11 has been known as a dual regulator of apoptosis and inflammatory response. An unusual feature of caspase-11 is that its expression is induced by apoptotic or proinflammatory stimuli. Utilizing these unusual features of caspase-11, we have developed a simple and sensitive assay method to screen pro- or anti-apoptotic/inflammatory molecules. To develop this assay method, we generated a reporter construct where GFP expression is regulated by caspase-11 promoter. When several types of cultured cells were transfected with this reporter construct and subsequently treated with various apoptotic or proinflammatory molecules, expression of GFP by the activation of caspase-11 promoter was easily detected by fluorescence microscopy or spectrofluorometry. In addition, a reduction of the GFP fluorescence was detected when an agent reported to suppress caspase-11 induction was applied. These results suggest that our reporter system can be used to screen pro- or anti-apoptotic/inflammatory molecules.

• 미생물학회지
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• 제39권4호
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• pp.216-222
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• 2003

Caspase는 세포사멸 과정에서 중심적 역할을 하는 cysteine 단백분해 효소이다. 그 중 caspase-9은 활성이 없는 전장 단백질로 존재하지만 Apaf-1과 cytochrome c와 함께 apoptosome을 이루면 활성화된다. 활성 된 caspase-9은 다른 caspase들을 활성 시키는 중요한 기능을 갖는다. 본 연구에서는 대장균에서 전장 caspase-9 단백질을 정제하고자 pGEX 발현 시스템을 이용하였다. 그러나 일반적 배양 및 유도조건에서 caspase-9을 발현시키면 과다한 단백분해로 인하여 전장 caspase-9 단백질이 매우 적게 발현되었다. 이를 극복하기 위해 배양조건과 유도인자의 농도를 변화시키자 caspase-9의 과다한 단백분해 현상이 감소되고 전장 caspase-9의 발현 정도도 상당량 향상되었다. 본 연구에서 확립된 배양조건으로 caspase-9을 발현, 정제하면 70%이상의 순도를 가진 GST-caspase-9 단백질을 손쉽게 얻을 수 있다. 더불어 GST 융합 caspase-9이 대장균에서 발현될 때도 포유세포 내에서 절단되는 것과 동일한 위치인 Asp315 에서 자가 단백분해 반응이 일어난다는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 본 연구에서는 caspase-9의 생화학적, 세포생물학적 기능연구에 필요한 전장 단백질을 다량으로 확보할 수 있는 간단하고 효과적인 정제방법을 제안한다.