title: Cytotoxic drugs enhance the ex vivo sensitivity of malignant cells from a subset of acute myeloid leukaemia patients to apoptosis induction by tumour necrosis factor receptor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand.
abstract: We have studied the actions of tumour-necrosis-factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) on cells isolated from patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Apoptosis induction was initially assessed by quantitative morphological analysis. Only 2/19 isolates showed a > 10% increase in apoptotic cells following TRAIL treatment. However, incubation with TRAIL combined with fludarabine, cytosine arabinoside or daunorubicin resulted in additive or super-additive apoptosis induction in approximately half of the isolates. Molecular evidence of super-additive apoptosis induction by TRAIL and cytotoxic agents was obtained by quantification of caspase 3 activation, detected by Western blot analysis of poly (ADP ribose) polymerase cleavage. The ability of TRAIL and daunorubicin to induce super-additive apoptosis correlated with the ability of these agents to activate caspase 8 and to augment cellular levels of the truncated pro-apoptotic form of the BCL-2 family member BID. Our data suggest that co-administration of TRAIL with conventional cytotoxic drugs may be of therapeutic value in some patients with AML.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, UK.
authors.forename: Dylan T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Kanagasabai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ganeshaguru
authors.forename: Wayne A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Letizia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Foroni
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: H Grant
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Prentice
authors.forename: Atul B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.forename: R Gitendra
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Wickremasinghe
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D015153:Blotting, Western; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003630:Daunorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004347:Drug Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D053221:TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014740:Vidarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*
chemical_list: D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D053221:TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand; C505653:TNFSF10 protein, human; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D003561:Cytarabine; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D014740:Vidarabine; C024352:fludarabine; D003630:Daunorubicin