[The mechanism of apoptosis induced by anticancer agents in human leukemia cells].
Many anticancer agents induce apoptosis in human leukemia cells. Among the various leukemia cells, especially HL-60 cells and U937 cells are very sensitive to apoptosis upon anticancer agents treatment. A serine protease inhibitor TPCK and an ICE-like protease inhibitor VAD-FMK prevented etoposide, camptothecin and ara-C-induced internucleosomal DNA cleavage in human myeloid leukemia HL-60 and U937 cells. Using a cell-free system, we have examined the inhibitory mechanism of these inhibitors on anticancer agent-induced internucleosomal DNA cleavage. Our data indicate that serine and ICE-like proteases may be involved in anticancer agent-induced apoptosis at the different stages, and especially a serine protease may be closely associated with the final step for induction of DNA fragmentation during apoptosis in human myeloid leukemia HL-60 and U937 cells.
Yoshida
A
A
First Department of Internal Medicine, Fukui Medical School.
Ueda
T
T
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D020170:Caspase 1; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000473:pathology*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000502:physiology
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D020170:Caspase 1