Progress of studies on VEC apoptosis-inducing proteins in snake venom and its mechanism--review

• Published in: Zhongguo shi yan xue ye xue za zhi Vol. 12; no. 5; p. 708
• Main Authors: Zhao, Qi-Tao, Xie, Kun, Zhang, Jie, Miao, Jun-Ying
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: China 01.10.2004
• Subjects: Amino Acid Oxidoreductases - pharmacology; Animals; Apoptosis - drug effects; Endothelial Cells - cytology; Endothelial Cells - drug effects; Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; Humans; L-Amino Acid Oxidase; Reactive Oxygen Species; Signal Transduction; Snake Venoms - chemistry; Snake Venoms - pharmacology
• ISSN: 1009-2137

Hemorrhagic snake venom specially induces apoptosis of VEC (vascular endothelial cells). Five apoptosis-inducing proteins had been purified and characterized from crude snake venom. Two of these are L-amino acid oxidase (LAO), the others belong to metalloprotease/disintegrin family. LAO catalyzes H2O2 production by oxidizing some plasma membrane proteins of VEC, disintegrins interfere with binding of integrins with their ligands. The expression of p53 and bcl-2 increases during VEC apoptosis induced by snake venom, moreover, the mRNA of bcl-2 is spliced into two fragments. It has been proved that one of adhesion-dependent signal molecules, alphavbeta3, and one of phospholipid signal molecules, PC-PLC (phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C), are involved in above apoptosis-inducing signal transudation pathway. These results throw light on finding out specific component from protein is snake venom. This component is able to induce tumor vascular endothelial cells apoptosis. This review summarized progres