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Updated: May 24, 2026

Evaluation of Caspase Activation to Assess Innate Immune Cell Death
Published on: January 20, 2023
CopA3 peptide from Copris tripartitus induces apoptosis in human leukemia cells via a caspase-independent pathway
Bo Ram Kang1, Ho Kim, Sung-Hee Nam
1Department of Agricultural Biology, National Academy of Agricultural Science, RDA, Daejin University, Pocheon 487-711, South Korea.
Abstract:
Our previous study demonstrated that CopA3, a disulfide dimer of the coprisin peptide analogue (LLCIALRKK), has antibacterial activity. In this study, we assessed whether CopA3 caused cellular toxicity in various mammalian cell lines. CopA3 selectively caused a marked decrease in cell viability in Jurkat T, U937, and AML-2 cells (human leukemia cells), but was not cytotoxic to Caki or Hela cells. Fragmentation of DNA, a marker of apoptosis, was also confirmed in the leukemia cell lines, but not in the other cells. CopA3-induced apoptosis in leukemia cells was mediated by apoptosis inducing factor (AIF), indicating induction of a caspase-independent signaling pathway.
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