Abstract
Rana catesbeiana ribonuclease (RC-RNase) possesses tumor-specific cytotoxicity, which can be synergized by IFN-γ. However, it is unclear how RC-RNase and RC-RNase/IFN-γ induce cell death. In this study, we use substrate cleavage assays to systematically investigate RC-RNase- and RC-RNase/IFN-γ-induced caspase activation in HL-60, MCF-7, and SK-Hep-1 cells. We find that RC-RNase and RC-RNase/IFN-γ induce mitochondria-mediated caspase activation in HL-60 and MCF-7 cells but not in SK-Hep-1 cells, although death of SK-Hep-1 cells is closely related to mitochondrial disruptions. Our findings provide evidence that RC-RNase and RC-RNase/IFN-γ can kill different cancer cells by distinct mechanisms. Compared with onconase, RC-RNase seems to harbor a more specific anti-cancer activity.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 265-270 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | FEBS Letters |
Volume | 579 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 3 2005 |
Keywords
- Anti-tumor ribonuclease
- Caspase
- Onconase
- Rana catesbeiana ribonuclease
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biophysics
- Structural Biology
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Cell Biology