title: Blockade of the ERK pathway markedly sensitizes tumor cells to HDAC inhibitor-induced cell death.
abstract: Constitutive activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway is associated with the neoplastic phenotype of a large number of human tumor cells. Although specific blockade of the ERK pathway by treating such tumor cells with potent mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase (MEK) inhibitors completely suppresses their proliferation, it by itself shows only a modest effect on the induction of apoptotic cell death. However, these MEK inhibitors markedly enhance the efficacy of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors to induce apoptotic cell death: such an enhanced cell death is observed only in tumor cells in which the ERK pathway is constitutively activated. Co-administration of MEK inhibitor markedly sensitizes tumor cells to HDAC inhibitor-induced generation of reactive oxygen species, which appears to mediate the enhanced cell death induced by the combination of these agents. These results suggest that the combination of MEK inhibitors and HDAC inhibitors provides an efficient chemotherapeutic strategy for the treatment of tumor cells in which the ERK pathway is constitutively activated.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cell Regulation, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-14, Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan.
authors.forename: Kei-ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.forename: Ai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Minoda
authors.forename: Futaba
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kishikawa
authors.forename: Michiaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kohno
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001549:Benzamides / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004338:Drug Combinations; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000187:drug effects; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism*; D019073:HT29 Cells; D056572:Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors; D006801:Humans; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: C120227:2-(2-chloro-4-iodophenylamino)-N-cyclopropylmethoxy-3,4-difluorobenzamide; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001549:Benzamides; D004338:Drug Combinations; D056572:Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases