title: MycN sensitizes neuroblastoma cells for drug-triggered apoptosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Amplification of the MYCN gene is found in a large proportion of neuroblastomas and is associated with a poor prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  To investigate the effect of ectopic MycN expression on the susceptibility of neuroblastoma cells to cytotoxic drugs, we used a human neuroblastoma cell line with tetracycline-controlled expression of MycN.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neither conditional expression of MycN alone nor low drug concentrations induced apoptosis. However, MycN and cytotoxic drugs cooperated to induce cell death. Apoptosis triggered by MycN and doxorubicin was mediated by cleavage of caspases and involved activation of the CD95 system. MycN overexpression and cytotoxic drugs also synergized to induce p53 and Bax protein expression and to trigger mitochondrial permeability transition and cytochrome c release.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In that amplification of MYCN is considered an adverse prognostic factor, these findings suggest that dysfunctions in apoptosis pathways may be a mechanism by which MycN-induced apoptosis of neuroblastoma cells is inhibited.
authors: University Children's Hospital, Ulm, Germany.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Fulda
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Lutz
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Schwab
authors: K M
authors: KM
authors: Debatin
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D016259:Genes, myc / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D019014:fas Receptor