PUMA: a puzzle piece in chloroquine's antimelanoma activity.
Chloroquine (CQ) can induce cell death in a subset of cancer cell lines, and some melanoma cell lines are quite susceptible. Although it is well known that CQ impairs lysosomal function and can serve as an autophagy inhibitor, the molecular target of CQ and the subsequent cascade of events that lead to cell death are not fully understood. Recent evidence indicates that in melanoma cell lines, CQ induces apoptosis by preventing degradation of the pro-apoptotic BH3-only protein p53-upregulated modulator of apoptosis. This finding adds to the unfolding story of CQ's mechanism of action as a cancer therapeutic agent.
Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Ravi.amaravadi@uphs.upenn.edu
Ravi K
RK
Amaravadi
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002738:Chloroquine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*
D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; C438378:BBC3 protein, human; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D002738:Chloroquine