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Polo-like kinase 1 inhibition sensitizes neuroblastoma cells for vinca alkaloid-induced apoptosis
(2015)
High polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) expression has been linked to poor outcome in neuroblastoma (NB), indicating that it represents a relevant therapeutic target in this malignancy. Here, we identify a synergistic induction of apoptosis by the PLK1 inhibitor BI 2536 and vinca alkaloids in NB cells. Synergistic drug interaction of BI 2536 together with vincristine (VCR), vinblastine (VBL) or vinorelbine (VNR) is confirmed by calculation of combination index (CI). Also, BI 2536 and VCR act in concert to reduce long-term clonogenic survival. Importantly, BI 2536 significantly enhances the antitumor activity of VCR in an in vivo model of NB. Mechanistically, BI 2536/VCR co-treatment triggers prolonged mitotic arrest, which is necessary for BI 2536/VCR-mediated apoptosis, since pharmacological inhibition of mitotic arrest by the CDK1 inhibitor RO-3306 significantly reduces cell death. Prolonged mitotic arrest leads to phosphorylation-mediated inactivation of BCL-2 and BCL-XL as well as downregulation of MCL-1, since inhibition of mitotic arrest by RO-3306 also prevents phosphorylation of BCL-2 and BCL-XL and MCL-1 downregulation. This inactivation of antiapoptotic BCL-2 proteins promotes activation of BAX and BAK, cleavage of caspase-9 and -3 and caspase-dependent apoptosis. Engagement of the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis is critically required for BI 2536/VCR-induced apoptosis, since ectopic expression of a non-degradable MCL-1 phospho-mutant, BCL-2 overexpression or BAK knockdown significantly reduce BI 2536/VCR-mediated apoptosis. Thus, PLK1 inhibitors may open new perspectives for chemosensitization of NB.
Background: NH exchangers (NHEs) play a crucial role in regulating intra/extracellular pH, which is altered in cancer cells, and are therefore suitable targets to alter cancer cell metabolism in order to inhibit cell survival and proliferation. Among NHE inhibitors, amiloride family members are commonly used in clinical practice as diuretics; we focused on the amiloride HMA, reporting a net cytotoxic effect on a panel of human cancer cell lines; now we aim to provide new insights into the molecular events leading to cell death by HMA.
Methods: Colon cancer cell lines were treated with HMA and analysed with: morphological and cellular assays for cell viability and death, and autophagy; biochemical approaches to evaluate mitochondrial function and ROS production; in situ detection of DNA damage; molecular tools to silence crucial autophagy/necroptosis factors.
Results: HMA affects cellular morphology, alters mitochondrial structure and function, causes an increase in ROS, which is detrimental to DNA integrity, stimulates poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis, activates RIPK3-dependent death and triggers autophagy, which is unable to rescue cell survival. These features are hot points of an intricate network of processes, including necroptosis and autophagy, regulating the homeostasis between survival and death.
Conclusion: Our results allow the identification of multiple events leading to cell death in cancer cells treated with HMA. The here-defined intricate network activated by HMA could be instrumental to selectively target the key players of each pathway in the attempt to improve the global response to HMA. Our data could be the starting point for developing a newly designed targeted therapy.
We explored the potential of Smac mimetics, which antagonize Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) proteins, for chemosensitization of neuroblastoma (NB). Here, we report that Smac mimetics, e.g. BV6, prime NB cells for chemotherapeutics including the topoisomerase II inhibitor doxorubicin (DOX) and vinca alkaloids such as Vincristine (VCR), Vinblastine (VBL) and Vinorelbine (VNR). Additionally, BV6 acts in concert with DOX or VCR to suppress long-term clonogenic growth. While BV6 causes rapid downregulation of cellular IAP (cIAP)1 protein and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) activation, DOX/BV6- or VCR/BV6-induced apoptosis occurs independently of NF-κB or TNFα signaling, since overexpression of dominant-negative IκBα superrepressor or the Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)α-blocking antibody Enbrel fail to block cell death. Mechanistic studies reveal that Receptor-interacting protein (RIP)1 is required for DOX/BV6-, but not for VCR/BV6-induced apoptosis, since transient or stable knockdown of RIP1 or the pharmacological RIP1 inhibitor necrostatin-1 significantly reduce apoptosis. By comparison, VCR/BV6-mediated apoptosis critically depends on the mitochondrial pathway. VCR/BV6 cotreatment causes phosphorylation of BCL-2 during mitotic arrest, enhanced activation of BAX and BAK and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Additionally, overexpression of BCL-2 profoundly suppresses VCR/BV6-induced apoptosis. Thus, BV6 sensitizes NB cells to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis via distinct initial signaling mechanisms depending on the chemotherapeutic drug. These findings provide novel mechanistic insights into Smac mimetic-mediated chemosensitization of NB.