title: Transgenic plants as low-cost platform for chemotherapeutic drugs screening.
abstract: In this work we explored the possibility of using genetically modified Arabidopsis thaliana plants as a rapid and low-cost screening tool for evaluating human anticancer drugs action and efficacy. Here, four different inhibitors with a validated anticancer effect in humans and distinct mechanism of action were screened in the plant model for their ability to interfere with the cytoskeletal and endomembrane networks. We used plants expressing a green fluorescent protein (GFP) tagged microtubule-protein (TUA6-GFP), and three soluble GFPs differently sorted to reside in the endoplasmic reticulum (GFPKDEL) or to accumulate in the vacuole through a COPII dependent (AleuGFP) or independent (GFPChi) mechanism. Our results demonstrated that drugs tested alone or in combination differentially influenced the monitored cellular processes including cytoskeletal organization and endomembrane trafficking. In conclusion, we demonstrated that A. thaliana plants are sensitive to the action of human chemotherapeutics and can be used for preliminary screening of drugs efficacy. The cost-effective subcellular imaging in plant cell may contribute to better clarify drugs subcellular targets and their anticancer effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTeBA), University of Salento, Campus ECOTEKNE, S.P. 6, Lecce-Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy. danielevergara@libero.it.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vergara
authors.affiliation: Institute of Science of Food Production, National Research Council (CNR), Lecce 73100, Italy. stefaniadedomenico@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: de Domenico
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTeBA), University of Salento, Campus ECOTEKNE, S.P. 6, Lecce-Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy. michele.maffia@unisalento.it.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maffia
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTeBA), University of Salento, Campus ECOTEKNE, S.P. 6, Lecce-Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy. gabriella.piro@unisalento.it.
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piro
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTeBA), University of Salento, Campus ECOTEKNE, S.P. 6, Lecce-Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy. gp.disansebastiano@unisalento.it.
authors.forename: Gian-Pietro
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Di Sansebastiano
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D059828:Plant Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D019441:Plant Epidermis / Q000166:cytology; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins