We have recently shown that curcumin induces apoptosis in prostate cancer cells through Bax translocation to mitochondria and caspase activation, and enhances the therapeutic potential of TRAIL. However, the molecular mechanisms by which it causes growth arrest are not well understood. We studied the molecular mechanism of curcumin-induced cell cycle arrest in prostate cancer androgen-sensitive LNCaP and androgen-insensitive PC-3 cells. Treatment of both cell lines with curcumin resulted in cell cycle arrest at G 1 /S phase and that this cell cycle arrest is followed by the induction of apoptosis. Curcumin induced the expression of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors p16 /INK4a , p21 /WAF1/CIP1 and p27 /KIP1 , and inhibited the expression of cyclin E and cyclin D1, and hyperphosphorylation of retinoblastoma (Rb) protein. Lactacystin, an inhibitor of 26 proteasome, blocks curcumin-induced down-regulation of cyclin D1 and cyclin E proteins, suggesting their regulation at level of posttranslation. The suppression of cyclin D1 and cyclin E by curcumin may inhibit CDK-mediated phosphorylation of pRb protein. The inhibition of p21 /WAF1/CIP1 by siRNA blocks curcumin-induced apoptosis, thus establishing a link between cell cycle and apoptosis. These effects of curcumin result in the proliferation arrest and disruption of cell cycle control leading to apoptosis. Our study suggests that curcumin can be developed as a chemopreventive agent for human prostate cancer.

Background:The MtrB sensor kinase is a component of the essential MtrAB signal transduction system. Results: MtrB localizes to septa independent of phosphorylation; MtrB septal association and phosphorylation are necessary for cell division and expression of MtrA targets. Conclusion: MtrB septal localization and MtrA-regulon expression are linked. Significance: MtrB septal assembly triggers the activation of the MtrAB signal transduction pathway.

Background: We have recently shown that curcumin (a diferuloylmethane) inhibits growth and induces apoptosis, and also demonstrated that TRAIL induces apoptosis by binding to specific cell surface death receptors in prostate cancer cells. The objectives of this paper were to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which curcumin enhanced the apoptosis-inducing potential of TRAIL in prostate cancer cells.

Background: We have previously shown that prostate cancer LNCaP cells are resistant to TRAIL, and downregulation of PI-3K/Akt pathway by molecular and pharmacological means sensitizes cells to undergo apoptosis by TRAIL and curcumin. The purpose of this study was to examine the molecular mechanisms by which resveratrol sensitized TRAIL-resistant LNCaP cells.

cBacterial cell division and cell wall synthesis are highly coordinated processes involving multiple proteins. Here, we show that Rv0008c, a novel small membrane protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, localizes to the poles and on membranes and shows an overall punctate localization throughout the cell. Furthermore, Rv0008c interacts with two proteins, CrgA and Wag31, implicated in peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis in mycobacteria. Deletion of the Rv0008c homolog in M. smegmatis, MSMEG_0023, caused bulged cell poles, formation of rounded cells, and defects in polar localization of Wag31 and cell wall synthesis, with cell wall synthesis measured by the incorporation of the [ 14 C]N-acetylglucosamine cell wall precursor. The M. smegmatis MSMEG_0023 crgA double mutant strain showed severe defects in growth, viability, cell wall synthesis, cell shape, and the localization of the FtsZ, FtsI, and Wag31 proteins. The double mutant strain also exhibited increased autolytic activity in the presence of detergents. Because CrgA and Wag31 proteins interact with FtsI individually, we believe that regulated cell wall synthesis and cell shape maintenance require the concerted actions of the CrgA, Rv0008c, FtsI, and Wag31 proteins. We propose that, together, CrgA and Rv0008c, renamed CwsA for cell wall synthesis and cell shape protein A, play crucial roles in septal and polar PG synthesis and help coordinate these processes with the FtsZ-ring assembly in mycobacteria. Since its reemergence in the early 1990s, tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. With nearly 10 million new cases reported each year and 2 billion people infected, as well as the emergence of extensively drug-resistant and completely drug-resistant strains, sustained interest in improved control measures and tuberculosis research is crucial (4, 40). These reports emphasize the importance of understanding the basic biology of the pathways needed for pathogen proliferation, namely, DNA replication and cell division, and the development of novel strategies for combating M. tuberculosis infection (27).Cell division in bacteria is accomplished by the coordinated actions of multiple proteins that form a septal ring in the middle of a dividing cell. FtsZ, a cytoskeletal protein and a GTPase, initiates the cytokinesis process by the GTP-dependent midcell assembly of a ring structure called the Z ring (2). Constriction of the Z ring, driven by the GTPase activity of FtsZ, initiates cell division. During various stages of cell division, FtsZ interacts with a number of proteins, and these interactions modulate its midcell localization, membrane tethering, biochemical activities, and influence on the assembly of other septal ring members, including some proteins involved in peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis (reviewed in reference 2). Recent data also suggest that, at least in some bacteria, FtsZ plays a role in guiding cell wall synthesis (1, 37).In the last decade, significant advancements have been made not only ...