title: Survival-signaling pathway as a promising target for cancer chemotherapy.
abstract: The serine/threonine kinase AKT, also known as PKB or RAC-PK, is a key molecule for protecting cells from undergoing apoptosis. Several studies have suggested that the AKT-mediated survival-signaling pathway is an attractive target for cancer chemotherapy: (1) the AKT pathway is relatively inactive in resting cells; (2) amplification of the AKT gene occurs in some tumors; (3) loss of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10) is common in tumors and its loss constitutively activates AKT; (4) AKT is activated at the cancer invasion front. To clarify which drugs exhibit their cytotoxicity by inhibiting the AKT pathway, we screened anticancer drugs that could downregulate phospho-AKT levels and AKT kinase activity. We found that UCN-01 (7-hydroxystaurosporine), heat-shock protein 90 (HSP90) inhibitors, and topotecan (10-hydroxy-9-dimethylaminomethyl-(S)-camptothecin) possessed the ability to interfere with the AKT pathway. UCN-01 directly suppressed upstream AKT kinase 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1) (IC(50) <33 nM) both in vitro and in tumor xenografts. HSP90 inhibitors and topotecan suppressed AKT activity via indirectly downregulating PDK1 and phosphatidylinositide-3-OH kinase activities. Transfection of the constitutively active AKT complementary DNA into cells attenuated the cytotoxic effects of the drugs, indicating that inhibition of the AKT pathway plays an important role in exerting their cytotoxic effects. These results strongly suggest that the AKT-mediated survival-signaling pathway is a promising and attractive target for cancer chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, 113-0032, Tokyo, Japan. nfujita@iam.u-tokyo.ac.jp
authors.forename: Naoya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuruo
mesh_terms: D064413:3-Phosphoinositide-Dependent Protein Kinases; D000470:Alkaloids / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D015195:Drug Design; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D018841:HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D019311:Staurosporine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D019772:Topotecan / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D018841:HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins; C054852:7-hydroxystaurosporine; D019772:Topotecan; D064413:3-Phosphoinositide-Dependent Protein Kinases; C578562:PDPK1 protein, human; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D019311:Staurosporine