title: Mitochondria determine the efficacy of anticancer agents that interact with DNA but not the cytoskeleton.
abstract: Although chemotherapy is an important method for the treatment of patients with cancer, its efficacy is limited because of different sensitivities of tumor cells to anticancer agents and/or side effects on normal tissues. The present work demonstrates that mitochondria play a crucial role in the apoptosis of cancer cells induced by anticancer agents that interact with DNA but not with the cytoskeleton. Agents that interact with DNA selectively enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondria, released cytochrome c, and activated caspase-9 and caspase-3 to induce apoptosis of mesothelioma H2052 cells but not their ρ(0) cells, which lack mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The sensitivity of a variety of cells to the agents showed positive correlation with the amounts of their mitochondria. In contrast, agents that selectively affect the cytoskeleton activated caspase-8 and caspase-3 and equally induced apoptosis of both H2052 and their ρ(0) cells by a mitochondria-independent mechanism. The results suggest that mtDNA is a potential target for the anticancer agents that interact with DNA to induce ROS-dependent apoptosis of cancer cells, whereas agents that affect the cytoskeleton induce cell death by a mitochondria- and ROS-independent mechanism. The present observation is important for the selection of medicine for chemotherapy of patients with cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pathology, Osaka City University Medical School, Asahimachi 1-4-3, Abeno, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenjirou
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Emiko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kasahara
authors.forename: Nozomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Masami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Konishi
authors.forename: June
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jikumaru
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.forename: Haruki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.forename: Eisuke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Masayasu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inoue
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D045304:Cytochromes c / Q000378:metabolism; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000187:drug effects*; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / Q000187:drug effects; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D045304:Cytochromes c; D004247:DNA; D020169:Caspases