title: Regulation of apoptosis-inducing factor-mediated, cisplatin-induced apoptosis by Akt.
abstract: Cisplatin is a first-line chemotherapeutic for ovarian cancer, although chemoresistance limits treatment success. Apoptosis, an important determinant of cisplatin sensitivity, occurs via caspase-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Activation of the protein kinase Akt, commonly observed in ovarian tumours, confers resistance to ovarian cancer cells via inhibition of caspase-dependent apoptosis. However, the effect of Akt on cisplatin-induced, caspase-independent apoptosis remains unclear. We show that in chemosensitive ovarian cancer cells, cisplatin induces the mitochondrial release and nuclear translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), a mediator of caspase-independent apoptosis, and AIF-dependent apoptosis. Cisplatin failed to induce these effects in the chemoresistant variant cells. Overexpression of AIF sensitised resistant cells to cisplatin-induced apoptosis. Finally, activation of Akt attenuated the cisplatin-induced mitochondrial release and nuclear accumulation of AIF and apoptosis in chemosensitive cells, whereas inhibition of Akt activity facilitated these effects and sensitised chemoresistant cells to AIF-dependent, cisplatin-induced apoptosis. These results suggest that cisplatin-induced apoptosis proceeds, in part, via a caspase-independent mechanism involving AIF, and that Akt activation confers resistance to cisplatin-induced apoptosis by blocking this pathway. These results provide insights into the molecular mechanism of chemoresistance, and suggest that inhibition of Akt activity may represent a novel therapeutic approach to the treatment of cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer.
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Biology Unit and Division of Gynaecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1H 8L6.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Abedini
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Tsang
mesh_terms: D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051033:Apoptosis Inducing Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D021381:Protein Transport; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C494829:AIFM1 protein, human; D051033:Apoptosis Inducing Factor; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D020169:Caspases; D002945:Cisplatin