title: PED mediates AKT-dependent chemoresistance in human breast cancer cells.
abstract: Killing of tumor cells by cytotoxic therapies, such as chemotherapy or gamma-irradiation, is predominantly mediated by the activation of apoptotic pathways. Refractoriness to anticancer therapy is often due to a failure in the apoptotic pathway. The mechanisms that control the balance between survival and cell death in cancer cells are still largely unknown. Tumor cells have been shown to evade death signals through an increase in the expression of antiapoptotic molecules or loss of proapoptotic factors. We aimed to study the involvement of PED, a molecule with a broad antiapoptotic action, in human breast cancer cell resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs-induced cell death. We show that human breast cancer cells express high levels of PED and that AKT activity regulates PED protein levels. Interestingly, exogenous expression of a dominant-negative AKT cDNA or of PED antisense in human breast cancer cells induced a significant down-regulation of PED and sensitized cells to chemotherapy-induced cell death. Thus, AKT-dependent increase of PED expression levels represents a key molecular mechanism for chemoresistance in breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Federico II University of Naples, Naples.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stassi
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garofalo
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zerilli
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ricci-Vitiani
authors.forename: Ciro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zanca
authors.forename: Matilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Todaro
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aragona
authors.forename: Gennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Limite
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Petrella
authors.forename: Gerolama
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Condorelli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D016373:DNA, Antisense / Q000235:genetics; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D014161:Transduction, Genetic; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D016373:DNA, Antisense; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C092039:PEA15 protein, human; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; C494918:AKT1 protein, human; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases