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Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes (morphology) and death. These changes include blebbing, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, DNA fragmentation, and mRNA decay. The average adult human loses between 50 and 70 billion cells each day due to apoptosis. For an average human child between eight and fourteen years old, approximately twenty to thirty billion cells die per day.
Caspases are a family of protease enzymes playing essential roles in programmed cell death. They are named caspases due to their specific cysteine protease activity – a cysteine in its active site nucleophilically attacks and cleaves a target protein only after an aspartic acid residue. As of 2009, there are 12 confirmed caspases in humans and 10 in mice, carrying out a variety of cellular functions.
Gingerol ([6]-gingerol) is a phenolic phytochemical compound found in fresh ginger that activates spice receptors on the tongue. It is normally found as a pungent yellow oil in the ginger rhizome, but can also form a low-melting crystalline solid. This chemical compound is found in all members of the Zingiberaceae family and is high in concentrations in the grains of paradise as well as an African Ginger species.
Oleocanthal is a phenylethanoid, or a type of natural phenolic compound found in extra-virgin olive oil. It appears to be responsible for the burning sensation that occurs in the back of the throat when consuming such oil. Oleocanthal is a tyrosol ester and its chemical structure is related to oleuropein, also found in olive oil.
The bafilomycins are a family of macrolide antibiotics produced from a variety of Streptomycetes. Their chemical structure is defined by a 16-membered lactone ring scaffold. Bafilomycins exhibit a wide range of biological activity, including anti-tumor, anti-parasitic, immunosuppressant and anti-fungal activity. The most used bafilomycin is bafilomycin A1, a potent inhibitor of cellular autophagy. Bafilomycins have also been found to act as ionophores, transporting potassium K+ across biological membranes and leading to mitochondrial damage and cell death.
Protein kinase RNA-activated also known as protein kinase R (PKR), interferon-induced, double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase, or eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2-alpha kinase 2 (EIF2AK2) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the EIF2AK2 gene.
Bcl-2 homologous antagonist/killer is a protein that in humans is encoded by the BAK1 gene on chromosome 6. The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the BCL2 protein family. BCL2 family members form oligomers or heterodimers and act as anti- or pro-apoptotic regulators that are involved in a wide variety of cellular activities. This protein localizes to mitochondria, and functions to induce apoptosis. It interacts with and accelerates the opening of the mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channel, which leads to a loss in membrane potential and the release of cytochrome c. This protein also interacts with the tumor suppressor P53 after exposure to cell stress.
Transcription factor Jun is a protein that in humans is encoded by the JUN gene. c-Jun, in combination with protein c-Fos, forms the AP-1 early response transcription factor. It was first identified as the Fos-binding protein p39 and only later rediscovered as the product of the JUN gene. c-jun was the first oncogenic transcription factor discovered. The proto-oncogene c-Jun is the cellular homolog of the viral oncoprotein v-jun. The viral homolog v-jun was discovered in avian sarcoma virus 17 and was named for ju-nana, the Japanese word for 17. The human JUN encodes a protein that is highly similar to the viral protein, which interacts directly with specific target DNA sequences to regulate gene expression. This gene is intronless and is mapped to 1p32-p31, a chromosomal region involved in both translocations and deletions in human malignancies.
X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), also known as inhibitor of apoptosis protein 3 (IAP3) and baculoviral IAP repeat-containing protein 4 (BIRC4), is a protein that stops apoptotic cell death. In humans, this protein (XIAP) is produced by a gene named XIAP gene located on the X chromosome.
DNA damage-inducible transcript 3, also known as C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), is a pro-apoptotic transcription factor that is encoded by the DDIT3 gene. It is a member of the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) family of DNA-binding transcription factors. The protein functions as a dominant-negative inhibitor by forming heterodimers with other C/EBP members, preventing their DNA binding activity. The protein is implicated in adipogenesis and erythropoiesis and has an important role in the cell's stress response.
Mitochondrial fission 1 protein (FIS1) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the FIS1 gene on chromosome 7. This protein is a component of a mitochondrial complex, the ARCosome, that promotes mitochondrial fission. Its role in mitochondrial fission thus implicates it in the regulation of mitochondrial morphology, the cell cycle, and apoptosis. By extension, the protein is involved in associated diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases and cancers.
Bok is a protein-coding gene of the Bcl-2 family that is found in many invertebrates and vertebrates. It induces apoptosis, a special type of cell death. Currently, the precise function of Bok in this process is unknown.
Dictyostelium discoideum is a species of soil-dwelling amoeba belonging to the phylum Amoebozoa, infraphylum Mycetozoa. Commonly referred to as slime mold, D. discoideum is a eukaryote that transitions from a collection of unicellular amoebae into a multicellular slug and then into a fruiting body within its lifetime. Its unique asexual lifecycle consists of four stages: vegetative, aggregation, migration, and culmination. The lifecycle of D. discoideum is relatively short, which allows for timely viewing of all stages. The cells involved in the lifecycle undergo movement, chemical signaling, and development, which are applicable to human cancer research. The simplicity of its lifecycle makes D. discoideum a valuable model organism to study genetic, cellular, and biochemical processes in other organisms.
Cinobufagin is a cardiotoxic bufanolide steroid secreted by the Asiatic toad Bufo gargarizans. It has similar effects to digitalis and is used in traditional Chinese medicine.
In molecular biology mir-210 microRNA is a short RNA molecule. MicroRNAs function to regulate the expression levels of other genes by several mechanisms.
Paraptosis is a type of programmed cell death, morphologically distinct from apoptosis and necrosis. The defining features of paraptosis are cytoplasmic vacuolation, independent of caspase activation and inhibition, and lack of apoptotic morphology. Paraptosis lacks several of the hallmark characteristics of apoptosis, such as membrane blebbing, chromatin condensation, and nuclear fragmentation. Like apoptosis and other types of programmed cell death, the cell is involved in causing its own death, and gene expression is required. This is in contrast to necrosis, which is non-programmed cell death that results from injury to the cell.
Mitochondrial E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (MUL1) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the MUL1 gene on chromosome 1. This enzyme localizes to the outer mitochondrial membrane, where it regulates mitochondrial morphology and apoptosis through multiple pathways, including the Akt, JNK, and NF-κB. Its proapopototic function thus implicates it in cancer and Parkinson’s disease.
cIAP1 is the abbreviation for a human protein, cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein-1. It belongs to the IAP family of proteins and therefore contains at least one BIR domain. cIAP1 is a multi-functional protein which can be found in the cytoplasm of cells and in the nucleus of tumor cells. Its function in this particular case is yet to be understood. However, it is well-known that this protein has a big influence in the growth of diverse cancers. cIAP1 is involved in the development process of osteosarcoma and gastric cancer among others.
Ganoderma microsporum is a species of Ganoderma mushroom native to Taiwan that grows on willow trees. The specific epithet microsporum refers to the small size of its spores, measuring 6–8.5 by 4.5–5 μm, which is smaller than the spores of all other known types of Ganoderma.
Fungal immunomodulatory proteins (FIPs) are a type of functional compound found in various species of fungi. FIPs are part of the immunoglobulin (ig) family, which are structurally similar to human antibodies, and can interact with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), causing these cells to secrete different types of hormones and regulate cellular activity.
References
- ↑ Teo WH, Lo JF, Fan YN, Huang CY, Huang TF (2020). "Ganoderma microsporum immunomodulatory protein, GMI, promotes C2C12 myoblast differentiation in vitro via upregulation of Tid1 and STAT3 acetylation". PLOS ONE. 15 (12): e0244791. Bibcode:2020PLoSO..1544791T. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244791 . PMC 7774968 . PMID 33382817.
- ↑ Huang SY, Chien CC, Hseu RS, Huang VY, Chiang SY, Huang CJ, et al. (June 2018). "Ganoderma microsporum immunomodulatory protein induces apoptosis and potentiates mitomycin C-induced apoptosis in urinary bladder urothelial carcinoma cells". Journal of Cellular Biochemistry. 119 (6): 4592–4606. doi:10.1002/jcb.26616. PMID 29240252. S2CID 206028088.
- ↑ Wu MY, Hsu MF, Huang CS, Fu HY, Wang AH, Hseu RS, Huang CT, Yang CS (November 2007). A 2.0 Å Structure of the Fungal Immunomodulatory Protein GMI from Ganoderma microsporum. The 2nd Asia-Oceania Forum for Synchrotron Radiation Research.
- ↑ US 7601808,Lin TL,"Immunomodulatory protein cloned from ganoderma microsporum",issued 13 Oct. 2009, assigned to MycoMagic Biotechnology Co., Ltd.