Functional coupling of p38-induced up-regulation of BiP and activation of RNA-dependent protein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase to drug resistance of dormant carcinoma cells.
It has been proposed that occult, disseminated metastatic cells are refractory to chemotherapy due to lack of proliferation. We have shown that p38 activation induces dormancy of squamous carcinoma cells. We now show that p38 signaling in these cells activates a prosurvival mechanism via the up-regulation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone BiP and increased activation of the ER stress-activated eukaryotic translation initiator factor 2alpha kinase RNA-dependent protein kinase-like ER kinase (PERK) allowing dormant tumor cells to resist drug toxicity. RNA interference and dominant-negative expression studies revealed that both BiP and PERK signaling promote survival and drug resistance of dormant cells, and that BiP up-regulation prevents Bax activation. We propose that stress-dependent activation of p38 via BiP up-regulation and PERK activation protects dormant tumor cells from stress insults, such as chemotherapy.
Ranganathan
Aparna C
AC
Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health and Center for Excellence in Cancer Genomics, University at Albany, State University of New York, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA.
Zhang
Lin
L
Adam
Alejandro P
AP
Aguirre-Ghiso
Julio A
JA
D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000494:pharmacology; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000502:physiology; D000091342:Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005047:Etoposide / Q000494:pharmacology; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D040901:Proteomics; D034622:RNA Interference; D015854:Up-Regulation; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D019892:eIF-2 Kinase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*
D004317:Doxorubicin; D000091342:Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; D005047:Etoposide; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D019892:eIF-2 Kinase; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; C494826:BAX protein, human