AMAD, an emodin azide methyl anthraquinone derivative, was extracted from the nature giant knotweed rhizome of traditional Chinese herbs. Here, we investigated the anticancer activities and signaling pathways implicated in AMAD-induced apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-453 and human lung adenocarcinoma Calu-3 cells. AMAD was found to have a potent cytotoxic effect on both cell lines. Hoechst 33258 staining and Annexin V/propidium iodide double staining exhibited the typical nuclear features of apoptosis and increased the proportion of apoptotic Annexin V -positive cells in a dose-dependent manner, respectively. Moreover, this apoptotic induction was associated with a collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential and activated caspases (cysteine aspartase) cascade involving in caspase-8, caspase-9, caspase-3, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage in a concentration-dependent manner. It was noteworthy that AMAD also effectively cleaved Bid, a BH3 domaincontaining proapoptotic Bcl-2 family member, and induced the subsequent release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into the cytosol. Furthermore, suppression of caspase-8 activity with Z

The degeneration of vascular smooth muscle cell(s) (SMC) is one of the key features of thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAAD). We and others have shown that elevated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress causes SMC loss and TAAD formation, however, the mechanism of how SMC dysfunction contributes to intimal damage, leading to TAAD, remains to be explored. In the present study, in vitro assay demonstrated that elevated mechanical stretch (18% elongation, 3600 cycles/h) stimulated the ER stress response and microparticle(s) (MP) production from both SMC and endothelial cell(s) (EC) in a time-dependent manner. Treatment of EC with isolated MP led to anoikis, which was determined by measuring the fluorescence of the ethidium homodimer (EthD-1) and Calcein AM cultured in hydrogel-coated plates and control plates. MP stimulation of EC also up-regulated the mRNA levels of inflammatory molecules (i.e. Vascular cellular adhesion molecular-1 (VCAM-1)), intercellular adhesion molecular-1 (ICAM-1), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6)). Use of an ER stress inhibitor or knockout of CHOP decreased mechanical stretch-induced MP production in SMC. In vivo, administration of an ER stress inhibitor or knockout of CHOP suppressed both apoptosis of EC and the infiltration of inflammatory cells. Moreover, TAAD formation was also suppressed by the administration of an ER stress inhibitor. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that elevated mechanical stretch induces MP formation in SMC leading to endothelial dysfunction, which is ER stress dependent. The inhibition of ER stress suppressed EC apoptosis, inflammation in the aorta, and TAAD development.

Our results indicate that the ethanol extract of leaves of Annona muricata L. causes apoptosis of liver cancer cells through ER stress pathway, which supports the ethnomedicinal use of this herb as an alternative or complementary therapy for cancer.

No abstract

The centrosome cycle is most often coordinated with mitotic cell division through the activity of various essential cell cycle regulators, consequently ensuring that the centriole is duplicated once, and only once, per cell cycle. However, this coupling can be altered in specific developmental contexts; for example, multi-ciliated cells generate hundreds of centrioles without any S-phase requirement for their biogenesis, while Drosophila follicle cells eliminate their centrosomes as they begin to endoreduplicate. In order to better understand how the centrosome cycle and the cell cycle are coordinated in a developmental context we use the endoreduplicating intestinal cell lineage of C. elegans to address how novel variations of the cell cycle impact this important process. In C. elegans, the larval intestinal cells undergo one nuclear division without subsequent cytokinesis, followed by four endocycles that are characterized by successive rounds of S-phase. We monitored the levels of centriolar/centrosomal markers and found that centrosomes lose their pericentriolar material following the nuclear division that occurs during the L1 stage and is thereafter never re-gained. The centrioles then become refractory to S phase regulators that would normally promote duplication during the first endocycle, after which they are eliminated during the L2 stage. Furthermore, we show that SPD-2 plays a central role in the numeral regulation of centrioles as a potential target of CDK activity. On the other hand, the phosphorylation on SPD-2 by Polo-like kinase, the transcriptional regulation of genes that affect centriole biogenesis, and the ubiquitin/proteasome degradation pathway, contribute collectively to the final elimination of the centrioles during the L2 stage.