title: Drug-induced apoptosis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
abstract: Glucocorticoids and fludarabine are able to induce typical features of apoptosis in CLL lymphocytes. Cysteinyl aspartate specific proteases (caspases) play a key biochemical role in the apoptotic pathway. Caspase activation following cytotoxic stimuli leads to highly specific proteolytic cleavage of functionally important cellular enzymes. One of them is poly ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). To some extent caspase activation seems to be under the control of the Bcl-2 family of interacting proteins. We determined the role of Bcl-2-family proteins Bcl-2 (anti-apoptotic) and Bax (pro-apoptotic), activation of caspase-3 (CPP32/Yama) and activation of PARP in CLL apoptosis. All 21 analyzed CLL samples expressed Bcl-2 and Bax. Four of 13 (31%) samples with a low Bcl-2/Bax ratio exhibited in vitro prednisolone resistance, whereas eight of nine (88%) samples with a high Bcl-2/Bax ratio were in vitro resistant (</=0.025). There was no significant correlation between clinical pre-treatment status and Bcl-2/Bax ratio. Caspase-3/CPP32 activity increase was registered after dexamethasone as well as after fludarabine treatment in CLL lymphocytes in vitro. Caspase inhibitor Z-VAD.fmk was only able to partially block dexamethasone-induced and spontaneous apoptosis but not fludarabine-induced apoptosis in CLL lymphocytes. PARP activity decreased after dexamethasone and fludarabine treatment. PARP inhibitor 3-aminobenzamide (3-AB) was able to partially inhibit dexamethasone-induced apoptosis but not fludarabine-induced and spontaneous apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Klinik III, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Klinikum Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Muenchen, Germany.
authors.forename: O J
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Stoetzer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pogrebniak
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scholz
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pelka-Fleischer
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gullis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Darsow
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nüssler
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wilmanns
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones / Q000494:pharmacology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001549:Benzamides / Q000494:pharmacology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D053148:Caspase 3; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000187:drug effects; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000067856:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
chemical_list: D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C494826:BAX protein, human; D001549:Benzamides; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D000067856:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C096713:benzyloxycarbonylvalyl-alanyl-aspartyl fluoromethyl ketone; C025160:3-aminobenzamide; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases