title: Proapoptotic activity and chemosensitizing effect of the novel Akt inhibitor perifosine in acute myelogenous leukemia cells.
abstract: The serine/threonine kinase Akt, a downstream effector of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), is known to play an important role in antiapoptotic signaling and has been implicated in the aggressiveness of a number of different human cancers including acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). We have investigated the therapeutic potential of the novel Akt inhibitor, perifosine, on human AML cells. Perifosine is a synthetic alkylphospholipid, a new class of antitumor agents, which target plasma membrane and inhibit signal transduction networks. Perifosine was tested on THP-1 and MV 4-11 cell lines, as well as primary leukemia cells. Perifosine treatment induced cell death by apoptosis in AML cell lines. Perifosine caused Akt and ERK 1/2 dephosphorylation as well as caspase activation. In THP-1 cells, the proapoptotic effect of perifosine was partly dependent on the Fas/FasL system and c-jun-N-kinase activation. In MV 4-11 cells, perifosine downregulated phosphorylated Akt, but not phosphorylated FLT3. Moreover, perifosine reduced the clonogenic activity of AML, but not normal, CD34(+) cells, and markedly increased blast cell sensitivity to etoposide. Our findings indicate that perifosine, either alone or in combination with existing drugs, might be a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of those AML cases characterized by upregulation of the PI3K-Akt survival pathway.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Anatomiche Umane e Fisiopatologia dell'Apparato Locomotore, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Papa
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Tazzari
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chiarini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cappellini
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Billi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Evangelisti
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ottaviani
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martinelli
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Testoni
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: McCubrey
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Martelli
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D047468:Immunoprecipitation; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D048670:MAP Kinase Kinase 4 / Q000378:metabolism; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D010767:Phosphorylcholine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D051025:bcl-Associated Death Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism; D051941:fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C494819:BAD protein, human; C505661:FASLG protein, human; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051025:bcl-Associated Death Protein; D019014:fas Receptor; D010767:Phosphorylcholine; C105905:perifosine; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; C497970:FLT3 protein, human; D051941:fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D048670:MAP Kinase Kinase 4