Published in The FASEB Journal
Buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) is a well-known inhibitor of glutathione synthesis, producing slow glutathione (GSH) depletion and oxidative stress; some "responder" cells avoid BSO-induced death by trans-activating the prosurvival protein Bcl-2. Here we show that BSO activates a noncanonical, inhibitory NF-kappaB- and p65-independent NF-kappaB pathwa...
Published in BioFactors
Constitutive tyrosine kinase activity of the breakpoint cluster region (Bcr)-Abl fusion protein is characteristic of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). As resistance against Imatinib a Bcr-abl inhibitor used in CML, was described, Heat shock protein (Hsp90) became an alternative target as inhibition of Bcr-Abl-Hsp90 complex leads to proliferation ...
Published in Journal of Sulfur Chemistry
Natural sulfur compounds from plants, bacteria, fungi, and animals frequently exhibit interesting biological activities, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer activity. Considering the recent developments in medicine (e.g. oxidative stress in aging, antibiotic resistant bacteria, selective anticancer agents) and agriculture (e.g. ‘gree...
Published in Journal of Natural Products
The two naphthopyrones 6-methoxycomaparvin (1) and 6-methoxycomaparvin 5-methyl ether (2) were isolated from a bioactive methanol-soluble extract of the Fijian echinoderm Comanthus parvicirrus. Their structures were assigned on the basis of spectroscopic methods. X-ray diffraction analysis was used to confirm the structure of 1. Both compounds were...
Published in Journal of Pineal Research
We have recently shown that melatonin antagonizes damage-induced apoptosis by interaction with the MT-1/MT-2 plasma membrane receptors. Here, we show that melatonin interferes with the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis at the mitochondrial level. In response to an apoptogenic stimulus, melatonin allows mitochondrial translocation of the pro-apoptotic ...
Published in Cell Death and Differentiation
It is not yet time to move to a more exciting and fertile field of research! For those who attended the ‘Apoptosis World 2008—From Mechanisms to Applications’ meeting at the European Congress Center in Kirchberg, in the neighbourhood of Luxembourg, this is the reassuring message they can bring home. There is still a lot of work to be done for resea...
Published in Biochemical Pharmacology
The inducible transcription factor nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) plays an important role in the regulation of immune, inflammatory and carcinogenic responses. While normal NF-kappaB activation is necessary for cell survival and immunity, deregulated NF-kappaB expression is a characteristic phenomenon in cancer development, as well as in several...
Published in BioFactors
Constitutive tyrosine kinase activity of the breakpoint cluster region (Bcr)-Abl fusion protein is characteristic of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). As resistance against Imatinib a Bcr-abl inhibitor used in CML, was described, Heat shock protein (Hsp90) became an alternative target as inhibition of Bcr-Abl-Hsp90 complex leads to proliferation ...
Published in Biochemical Pharmacology
Published in APOPTOSIS
The very early events of the intrinsic, damage-induced apoptotic pathway, ie, upstream to Bax activation, probably consist of physico-chemical alterations (ie, redox, pH or Ca 2+ changes) rather then subtle molecular interactions, and in spite of many studies they remain unclear. One problem is that cells undergo apoptosis in an asynchronous way, l...
