title: Modulation of apoptotic pathways triggered by cytotoxic agents.
abstract: Anticancer drugs can induce tumour cell death by apoptosis. The main pathway from specific damage induced by the drug to apoptosis involves activation of caspases in the cytosol by pro-apoptotic molecules such as cytochrome c released from the mitochondria. At least in some cell types, anticancer drugs also upregulate the expression of death receptors and sensitize tumour cells to their cognate ligands, which could be used to amplify the response to cytotoxic drugs. The Bcl-2 family of proteins, which includes anti- and pro-apoptotic molecules, regulates cell sensitivity at the mitochondrial level. Chemotherapeutic drugs modulate their expression (e.g. through p53-dependent gene transcription), their activity (e.g. by phosphorylation) and their subcellular localization (e.g. by translocation of pro-apoptotic proteins from the cytosol to the mitochondria). When interacting with tumour cells, anticancer drugs also activate lipid- and kinase-dependent signalling pathways that modulate the death response to specific damage. Protective pathways include activation of NF kappa B transcription factor, accumulation of heat shock proteins and activation of proteins involved in cell cycle regulation. The recent identification on these pathways to cell death has suggested several new strategies to improve the therapeutic efficacy of currently used anticancer drug regimens.
authors.affiliation: INSERM Unité 517, 7 boulevard Jeanne d'Arc, 21000 Dijon, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Solary
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Plenchette
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sordet
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rébé
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ducoroy
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Filomenko
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bruey
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Droin
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Corcos
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003603:Cytotoxins