title: Rosiglitazone suppresses human lung carcinoma cell growth through PPARgamma-dependent and PPARgamma-independent signal pathways.
abstract: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors gamma (PPARgamma) exert diverse effects on cancer cells. Recent studies showed that rosiglitazone, a synthetic ligand for PPARgamma, inhibits cell growth. However, the exact mechanisms underlying this effect are still being explored, and the relevance of these findings to lung cancer remains unclear. Here, we report that rosiglitazone reduced the phosphorylation of Akt and increased phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) protein expression in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cells (H1792 and H1838), and this was associated with inhibition of NSCLC cell proliferation. These effects were blocked or diminished by GW9662, a specific PPARgamma antagonist. However, transfection with a CMX-PPARgamma2 overexpression vector restored the effects of rosiglitazone on Akt, PTEN, and cell growth in the presence of GW9662. In addition, rosiglitazone increased the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase alpha (AMPKalpha), a downstream kinase target for LKB1, whereas it decreased phosphorylation of p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K), a downstream target of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Of note, GW9662 did not affect the phosphorylation of AMPKalpha and p70S6K protein. The inhibitory effect of rosiglitazone on NSCLC cell growth was enhanced by the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin; however, it was blocked, in part, by the AMPKalpha small interfering RNA. Taken together, these findings show that rosiglitazone, via up-regulation of the PTEN/AMPK and down-regulation of the Akt/mTOR/p70S6K signal cascades, inhibits NSCLC cell proliferation through PPARgamma-dependent and PPARgamma-independent signals.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Whitehead Bioresearch Building, 615 Michael Street, Suite 205-M, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. shan2@emory.edu
authors.forename: ShouWei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Jesse
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roman
mesh_terms: D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D047495:PPAR gamma / Q000378:metabolism*; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D034622:RNA Interference; D038762:Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 70-kDa / Q000378:metabolism; D000077154:Rosiglitazone; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D045162:Thiazolidinediones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D047495:PPAR gamma; D045162:Thiazolidinediones; D000077154:Rosiglitazone; D011494:Protein Kinases; C546842:MTOR protein, human; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D038762:Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 70-kDa; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase; C494929:PTEN protein, human