Material Supplementary 2.DC1http://www.jimmunol.org/content/suppl/2010/07/09/jimmunol.090135

In this study, we investigated the interaction between lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lead (Pb) and the involvement of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and oxidative stress in Pb-plus-LPS (Pb/LPS)-induced liver damage in rats. Serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), TNF-alpha, nitric oxide (NO), and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were determined in rats treated with Pb and/or LPS. Pb ranging from 0 to 15 mg/kg dose dependently increased AST, ALT, NO, or LPO in LPS-treated rats. Pretreatment with iNOS inhibitor 1400W reduced NO, LPO, TNF-alpha, AST, and ALT in Pb/LPS-treated rats. Thus, Pb increased LPS-induced liver damage, which might be associated with increased NO-initiated oxidative stress and TNF-alpha in rats.

Caspase-3 is known as a cysteine protease that primarily executes the cell death program. However, some tumors express higher levels of caspase-3 in positive correlation with malignancy. Here, we showed that caspase-3 can promote tumor metastasis in a protease-independent mechanism. Ectopic expression of caspase-3 enhanced lung metastasis and cell motility of caspase-3 deficient MCF-7 cells. By contrast, caspase-3 siRNA reduced the invasiveness and metastasis ability of A549 cells that express high level of caspase-3. Moreover, caspase-3 induced ERK activation. Alteration of caspase-3 by introducing non-processable mutation at its cleavage site or treatment of caspase-3 inhibitor did not diminish the caspase-3-associated increases in ERK phosphorylation and cell migration. Confocal microscopy study showed that caspase-3 was not physically associated with ERK. Inhibiting ceramide formation by blockage of the ceramide synthase or acid sphingomyelinase activity resulted in significant reduction of ERK phosphorylation and cell migration. In summary, caspase-3 induces ERK activation through a ceramide-dependant, protease activity-independent mechanism, which represents a novel role of caspase-3 in tumor metastasis. ' 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Key words: caspase-3; extracellular signal-regulated kinase; metastasis Stimuli, such as death receptor ligation, cytotoxic stress and mitochondria injury, lead to cleavage and activation of the full length caspase-3 by granzyme B, caspase-8 and caspase-9. Subsequently, the activated caspase-3 executes proteolytic events required for programmed cell death. 1,2 It is proposed that the elimination of cancer cells through the apoptosis pathway either by stimulating the expression of caspase-3 or by activating its protease activity can serve as a common strategy in cancer therapies. 3 However, contradictory results exist. For instance, gastric cancer cells express higher levels of both procaspase-3 and activated-caspase-3 as compared to normal tissues. 4,5 Some breast cancers, melanomas and leiomyomas have an elevated caspase-3 expression along with an increase in tumor progression and metastasis. 6-8 Caspase-3 also plays a critical role in erythroid maturation 9 and osteogenic differentiation. 10 The potential tumor promoting effects of caspase-3, thus, constrain the application of caspase-3 in antitumor therapies. Currently, how caspase-3 affects tumor malignancy and differentiation remains unknown.Migration of cancer cells into the surrounding tissue is an important step for metastasis. Mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play a major role in basal membrane degradation, cell migration and survival of invasion cells in a new environment. [11][12][13][14] Among the MAPK family, extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2), located at the membrane periphery, are required for focal adhesion disassembly, cell spreading and motility. 15,16 Tumor-explanted cells carrying the effectors domain of Ras oncoprotein (Raf, PI3K or RalGEF) mutants grow rapidly, but only the cells c...

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Consumption of fructose has been linked to the development of metabolic syndrome, whereas the cardiomyopathic changes and cardiac apoptosis of dietary high-fructose intake have not yet been clarified. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of high-fructose on cardiac apoptotic and survival pathways. Thirty-two Wistar rats were randomly divided into a control group (CON), which received a standard chow diet, and a fructose-induced metabolic syndrome group (FIMS), which received a 50% fructose-content diet for 13 weeks. Histopathological analysis, TUNEL assays and Western blotting were performed on the excised hearts from both groups. The blood pressure, glucose, insulin, triglyceride and cholesterol levels were significantly increased in the FIMS group, compared with the CON group. The abnormal myocardial architecture, enlarged interstitial space and increased cardiac TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells were observed in the FIMS group. The TNF-α, TNF receptor 1, Fas ligand, Fas receptor, FADD, and activated caspase-3 and 8 protein levels (Fas pathway) and the Bax, Bak, Bax/Bcl-2, Bak/Bcl-xL, cytosolic cytochrome c, and activated caspase-3 and nine protein levels (mitochondria pathway) were increased in the FIMS group compared with those in the CON group. The IGFI, IGFI-R, p-PI3K, p-Akt, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL protein levels (survival pathway) were all significantly decreased in the FIMS group compared with those in the CON group. High-fructose intake elevated blood pressure and glucose levels; moreover, high-fructose diet activated cardiac Fas-dependent and mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathways and suppressed the survival pathway, which might provide one possible mechanism for developing heart failure in patients with metabolic syndrome.

It has recently become apparent that the microenvironment made up of the extracellular matrix may affect cell signaling. In this study, we evaluated Fas-triggered apoptosis in T cells in contact with tumor cells, which resembles the cell-to-cell interactions found in tumor regions. Jurkat cells were less susceptible to the Fas-mediated apoptosis when cocultured with U118, HeLa, A549, and Huh-7 tumor cells. This was indicated by less plasma membrane alteration, an amelioration of the loss of mitochondria membrane potential, a decrease in caspase-8 and caspase-3 activation, a decrease in DNA fragmentation factor-45/35 cleavage, and a reduction in the breakage of DNA when compared with Jurkat cells cultured alone. In contrast, the tumor cell lines MCF-7 and HepG2 produced no such protective effect. This protective event was independent of the expression of Fas ligand on the tumor cells. Interrupting the β integrins-matrix interaction diminished the coculture effect. In Jurkat cells, cell matrix contact reduced the assembly of the Fas death-inducing signaling complex and Bcl-xL cleavage, but enhanced the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38 MAPK, and Akt. Only PI3K inhibitor, but not kinase inhibitors for MEK, ERK1/2, p38 MAPK, JNK, protein kinase C, and protein kinase A, completely abolished this tumor cell contact-associated protection and in parallel restored Fas-induced Bcl-xL cleavage as well as decreasing the phosphorylation of Bad at serine 136. Together, our results indicate that stimulation of the β integrin signal of T cells by contact with tumor cells may trigger a novel protective signaling through the PI3K/Akt pathway of T cells against Fas-mediated apoptosis.

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