Apoptosis Inhibitor

M50054, 2,2'-methylenebis (1,3-cyclohexanedione), is a novel inhibitor of apoptosis. [1]

In human Fas-expressing WC8 cells, M50054 inhibited apoptosis by soluble human Fas ligand in vitro cell death assay. M50054 inhibited the apoptotic U937 cell death which is a human monocytic leukemic cell line, induced by anticancer agents such as etoposide. M50054 inhibited apoptotic characters such as DNA phosphatidylserine and fragmentation exposure in these cells. These anti-apoptotic effects were dependent on inhibition of caspase-3 activation. Additionally, M50054 significantly inhibited anti-Fas-antibody-induced elevation of plasma aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase. Alopecia (hair loss) symptoms were also significantly improved with topical treatment with M50054. M50054 inhibits apoptosis induced by a variety of stimuli via inhibition of caspase-3 activation, and may thus be effective for hepatitis and chemotherapy-induced alopecia. [1]

Reference:
Tsuda T, Ohmori Y, Muramatsu H et al.  Inhibitory effect of M50054, a novel inhibitor of apoptosis, on anti-Fas-antibody-induced hepatitis and chemotherapy-induced alopecia.Eur J Pharmacol. 2001 Dec 14;433(1):37-45.

Mouse Lung Fibroblast Resistance to Fas-Mediated Apoptosis Is Dependent on the Baculoviral Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein 4 and the Cellular FLICE-Inhibitory Protein.[Pubmed:28352235]

Front Physiol. 2017 Mar 14;8:128.

A characteristic feature of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is accumulation of apoptotic resistant fibroblasts/myofibroblasts in the fibroblastic foci. As caveolin (Cav)-null mice develop pulmonary fibrosis (PF), we hypothesized that the participating fibroblasts display an apoptosis-resistant phenotype. To test this hypothesis and identify the molecular mechanisms involved we isolated lung fibroblasts from Cav-null mice and examined the expression of several inhibitors of apoptosis (IAPs), of c-FLIP, of Bcl-2 proteins and of the death receptor CD95/Fas. We found significant increase in XIAP and c-FLIP constitutive protein expression with no alteration of Bcl-2 and lower levels of CD95/Fas. The isolated fibroblasts were then treated with the CD95/Fas ligand (FasL) to induce apoptosis. While the morphological and biochemical alterations induced by FasL were similar in wild-type (wt) and Cav-null mouse lung fibroblasts, the time course and the extent of the alterations were greater in the Cav-null fibroblasts. Several salient features of Cav-null fibroblasts response such as loss of membrane potential, fragmentation of the mitochondrial continuum concurrent with caspase-8 activation, and subsequent Bid cleavage, prior to caspase-3 activation were detected. Furthermore, M30 antigen formation, phosphatidylserine expression and DNA fragmentation were caspase-3 dependent. SiRNA-mediated silencing of XIAP and c-FLIP, individually or combined, enhanced the sensitivity of lung fibroblasts to FasL-induced apoptosis. Pharmacological inhibition of Bcl-2 had no effect. Together our findings support a mechanism in which CD95/Fas engagement activates caspase-8, inducing mitochondrial apoptosis through Bid cleavage. XIAP and c-FLIP fine tune this process in a cell-type specific manner.

Overexpression of the X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protects Against Retinal Degeneration in a Feline Model of Retinal Detachment.[Pubmed:28335619]

Hum Gene Ther. 2017 Jun;28(6):482-492.

Retinal detachment is an acute disorder in humans that is caused by trauma or disease, and it can often lead to permanent visual deficits that result from the death of photoreceptors in the retina. The final pathway for photoreceptor cell death is apoptosis and necroptosis. The X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) has been shown to block both of these cell death pathways. This study tested the effects of XIAP on photoreceptor survival in a feline model of retinal detachment. The study was performed in 12 cats, divided into two experimental groups. Six animals received a subretinal injection of adeno-associated virus (AAV) carrying XIAP, and six animals received AAV carrying green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a control. Three weeks after viral delivery, retinas were detached by injecting C3F8 gas into the subretinal space. Optical coherence tomography revealed that the retinal detachments resolved within 3-6 weeks as the gas was slowly resorbed. Analysis of histological sections through the plane of the detachment showed significant preservation of the photoreceptor layer in AAV-XIAP-treated animals compared to AAV-GFP-treated animals at 9 weeks after the detachment. XIAP-treated detached retinas were similar to intact controls. These studies support the potential for XIAP therapy in the treatment of human retinal detachment.

MPT0B002, a novel microtubule inhibitor, downregulates T315I mutant Bcr-Abl and induces apoptosis of imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukemia cells.[Pubmed:28349229]

Invest New Drugs. 2017 Aug;35(4):427-435.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a hematopoietic malignancy caused by the constitutive activation of Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase. The Bcr-Abl inhibitor imatinib and other second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as dasatinib and nilotinib have remarkable efficacy in CML treatment. However, gene mutation-mediated drug resistance remains a critical problem. Among point mutations, the Bcr-Abl T315I mutation confers resistance to these Bcr-Abl inhibitors. Previously, we have synthesized the compound (1-methyl-1H-indol-5-yl)-(3,4,5-trimethoxy-phenyl)-methanone (MPT0B002) as a novel microtubule inhibitor. In this study, we evaluated its effects on the proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis of K562 CML cells and BaF3 cells expressing either wild-type Bcr-Abl (BaF3/p210) or T315I-mutated Bcr-Abl (BaF3/T315I). MPT0B002 inhibited cell viability in a dose-dependent manner in these cells but did not affect the proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. It disrupted tubulin polymerization and arrested cell cycle at the G2/M phase. Treatment with MPT0B002 induced apoptosis, and this induction was associated with increased levels of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved PARP. Furthermore, MPT0B002 can downregulate both Bcr-Abl and Bcr-Abl-T315I mRNA expressions and protein levels and the downstream signaling pathways. Taken together, our findings suggest that MPT0B002 may be considered a promising compound to downregulate not only wild type Bcr-Abl but also the T315I mutant to overcome Bcr-Abl-T315I mutation-mediated resistance in CML cells.

Apoptosis inhibitor 5 is an endogenous inhibitor of caspase-2.[Pubmed:28336776]

EMBO Rep. 2017 May;18(5):733-744.

Caspases are key enzymes responsible for mediating apoptotic cell death. Across species, caspase-2 is the most conserved caspase and stands out due to unique features. Apart from cell death, caspase-2 also regulates autophagy, genomic stability and ageing. Caspase-2 requires dimerization for its activation which is primarily accomplished by recruitment to high molecular weight protein complexes in cells. Here, we demonstrate that Apoptosis Inhibitor 5 (API5/AAC11) is an endogenous and direct inhibitor of caspase-2. API5 protein directly binds to the caspase recruitment domain (CARD) of caspase-2 and impedes dimerization and activation of caspase-2. Interestingly, recombinant API5 directly inhibits full length but not processed caspase-2. Depletion of endogenous API5 leads to an increase in caspase-2 dimerization and activation. Consistently, loss of API5 sensitizes cells to caspase-2-dependent apoptotic cell death. These results establish API5/AAC-11 as a direct inhibitor of caspase-2 and shed further light onto mechanisms driving the activation of this poorly understood caspase.