title: Farnesyltransferase inhibitor BMS-214662 induces apoptosis in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells.
abstract: B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) cells develop resistance to nucleoside analogs over time. This chemoresistance may be caused by selection for B-CLL cells with defects in the particular apoptosis pathway triggered by these drugs. Therefore, anticancer agents that induce apoptosis through alternative pathways might be useful in treating chemoresistant B-CLL. Farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTIs) are a class of synthetic drugs with definite molecular targets, which have demonstrated cytotoxicity against leukemic cell lines. We have studied the ex vivo effect of the FTI BMS-214662 on cells from 18 patients with B-CLL. Low concentrations (<1 microM) of BMS-214662 prevented farnesylation of the chaperone marker HDJ-2 and had no effect on Akt activation. BMS-214662 induced apoptosis in B-CLL cells from all patients studied, including those showing resistance to cladribine and fludarabine ex vivo and in vivo. Treatment with BMS-214662 induced loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)), phosphatidylserine exposure, proapoptotic conformational changes of Bax and Bak, reduction in Mcl-1 levels and activation of caspases 9 and 3. The general caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk did not prevent BMS-214662-induced cell death. These results indicate that BMS-214662 may be a useful drug for treating B-CLL and, in particular, an alternative for the therapy of purine analog-resistant or relapsed B-CLL.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. imarzo@unizar.es <imarzo@unizar.es>
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Marzo
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pérez-Galán
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Giraldo
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: López-Royuela
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gómez-Benito
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Larrad
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lasierra
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rubio-Félix
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Naval
mesh_terms: D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051231:Farnesyltranstransferase; D005260:Female; D050956:HSP40 Heat-Shock Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects; D064549:Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010718:Phosphatidylserines / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation / Q000187:drug effects; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D050998:bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C494772:BAK1 protein, human; C494826:BAX protein, human; D002352:Carrier Proteins; C107481:DNAJA1 protein, human; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D050956:HSP40 Heat-Shock Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D007093:Imidazoles; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D064549:Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D010718:Phosphatidylserines; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D050998:bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D019883:Alkyl and Aryl Transferases; D051231:Farnesyltranstransferase; C494918:AKT1 protein, human; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D020169:Caspases; C415151:7-cyano-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1-(1H-imidazol-4-ylmethyl)-3-(phenylmethyl)-4-(2-thienylsulfonyl)-1H-1,4-benzodiazepine