title: The rapamycin-derivative RAD001 (everolimus) inhibits cell viability and interacts with the Akt-mTOR-p70S6K pathway in human medullary thyroid carcinoma cells.
abstract: Over-expression of the proto-oncogene Akt/PKB has been demonstrated in some neuroendocrine tumor models. Akt may activate downstream proteins such as mTOR and p70S6K, inducing tumor proliferation. The rapamycin-derivative RAD001, everolimus, interacts with this pathway by antagonizing mTOR, but its effects on neuroendocrine tumors are largely unknown. We explored the mechanism of action of RAD001 on cell proliferation, hormonal secretion and on Akt/mTOR/p70S6K pathway activation, in a human medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) cell-line (TT) and in cells derived from human MTCs. Treatment with RAD001 significantly inhibited cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent fashion, and diminished phosphorylation of Akt downstream targets, mTOR and p70S6K, in both TT cell-line and cultured human MTCs. Akt phosphorylation was not affected by RAD001. RAD001 induced cell-cycle arrest in the G(0)/G(1) phase in TT cells, but had no effect on apoptosis. Moreover, RAD001 did not affect calcitonin and carcinoembryonic antigen secretion in TT cells and in human MTCs. RAD001 seems to have potent anti-proliferative effect in human MTC cells, which suggest that clinical trials of this agent are of considerable interest.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Endocrinology, Beilinson Hospital, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tiqva, Israel. simonag@clalit.org.il
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grozinsky-Glasberg
authors.forename: Hadara
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rubinfeld
authors.forename: Yardena
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nordenberg
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gorshtein
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Praiss
authors.forename: Efrat
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kendler
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Feinmesser
authors.forename: Ashley B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Grossman
authors.forename: Ilan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shimon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000378:metabolism; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects*; D000068338:Everolimus; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010766:Phosphorylation; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D038762:Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 70-kDa / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D002116:Calcitonin; D000068338:Everolimus; 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; D020123:Sirolimus