Glycogen synthase kinase 3β inhibition as a therapeutic approach in the treatment of endometrial cancer.
Alternative strategies beyond current chemotherapy and radiation therapy regimens are needed in the treatment of advanced stage and recurrent endometrial cancers. There is considerable promise for biologic agents targeting the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway for treatment of these cancers. Many downstream substrates of the ERK signaling pathway, such as glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), and their roles in endometrial carcinogenesis have not yet been investigated. In this study, we tested the importance of GSK3β inhibition in endometrial cancer cell lines and in vivo models. Inhibition of GSK3β by either lithium chloride (LiCl) or specific GSK3β inhibitor VIII showed cytostatic and cytotoxic effects on multiple endometrial cancer cell lines, with little effect on the immortalized normal endometrial cell line. Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence revealed a G2/M cell cycle arrest in both type I (AN3CA, KLE, and RL952) and type II (ARK1) endometrial cancer cell lines. In addition, LiCl pre-treatment sensitized AN3CA cells to the chemotherapy agent paclitaxel. Administration of LiCl to AN3CA tumor-bearing mice resulted in partial or complete regression of some tumors. Thus, GSK3β activity is associated with endometrial cancer tumorigenesis and its pharmacologic inhibition reduces cell proliferation and tumor growth.
Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, MO 63110, USA. yyin@dom.wustl.edu
Yan
Y
Yin
Nora T
NT
Kizer
Premal H
PH
Thaker
Katherine B
KB
Chiappinelli
Kathryn M
KM
Trinkaus
Paul J
PJ
Goodfellow
Liang
L
Ma
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D063646:Carcinogenesis / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004357:Drug Synergism; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; D006801:Humans; D018021:Lithium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D059566:M Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013844:Thiazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D014508:Urea / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D013844:Thiazoles; C479831:N-(4-methoxybenzyl)-N'-(5-nitro-1,3-thiazol-2-yl)urea; D014508:Urea; C000605506:GSK3B protein, human; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; C000605507:Gsk3b protein, mouse; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3; D018021:Lithium Chloride; D017239:Paclitaxel