title: Enhancement of chemosensitivity by tyrphostin AG825 in high-p185(neu) expressing non-small cell lung cancer cells.
abstract: The HER-2/neu gene product, p185(neu), is a membrane-bound receptor with tyrosine kinase activity. High levels of p185(neu) is correlated with intrinsic chemoresistance of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. We investigated the effects of tyrphostin AG825, a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor preferentially inhibiting HER-2/neu kinase, on the chemosensitivities and on the drug-induced cell cycle changes of NSCLC cell lines that expressed different levels of p185(neu). Compared to the low-p185(neu) expressing cell lines, we found that the high-p185(neu) expressing cell lines were more resistant to doxorubicin, etoposide, and cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) but more sensitive to AG825. AG825 was able to significantly enhance the chemosensitivities of the high-p185(neu) expressing cell lines, whereas it had little effect on the chemosensitivities of the low-p185(neu) expressing cells, with a few exceptions in which minor antagonistic effects were observed. Although high concentrations of AG825 could reduce the drug-induced G(2) arrest that was accompanied by the activation of phosphorylated p34(cdc2), we failed to find any remarkably differential effects of AG825 on drug-induced G(2), arrest and the accompanying phosphorylation status of p34(cdc2) of the high- and and the low-p185(neu) expressing cell lines. In summary, tyrphostin AG825 can enhance chemosensitivity in high- but not in low-p185(neu) expressing NSCLC cell lines. This differential effect cannot be explained by the alterations of drug-induced cell cycle changes by AG825. Our results provide a rationale to develop p185(neu)- specific tyrphostin and to test them in combination with anticancer agents in vivo and in clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Levitzki
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gazit
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Perng
mesh_terms: D052160:Benzothiazoles; D001597:Benzylidene Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D004351:Drug Resistance; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009570:Nitriles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D020032:Tyrphostins
chemical_list: D052160:Benzothiazoles; D001597:Benzylidene Compounds; D009570:Nitriles; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D020032:Tyrphostins; C098214:tyrphostin AG825