Bortezomib induces protective autophagy through AMP-activated protein kinase activation in cultured pancreatic and colorectal cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Bortezomib, a selective and potent inhibitor of the proteasome, has demonstrated broad anti-tumor activities in many malignancies. In the current study, we aimed to understand the potential resistance factor of bortezomib in cultured pancreatic and colorectal cancer cells. RESULTS: We observed that bortezomib-induced protective autophagy in cultured PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells and HT-29 colorectal cancer cells. Inhibition of autophagy by 3-methyladenine (3-MA) and chloroquine enhanced bortezomib-induced apoptosis and cytotoxicity in both PANC-1 and HT-29 cells. Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was required for bortezomib-induced autophagy induction in PANC-1 and HT-29 cells, and AMPK inhibition by its inhibitor compound C (CC) or RNAi-depletion suppressed bortezomib-induced autophagy, while dramatically enhancing cancer cell apoptosis/cytotoxicity. Meanwhile, significant AMPK activation and autophagy induction were observed after bortezomib stimulation in primary cultured pancreatic cancer cells derived from a patient's tumor tissue. Both CC and 3-MA facilitated bortezomib-induced cytotoxicity in primary cultured pancreatic cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our data here suggest that bortezomib induces protective autophagy in pancreatic and colorectal cancer cells through activating AMPK-Ulk1 signalings. AMPK or autophagy inhibitors could be developed as an adjunct or chemo-sensitizer for bortezomib.

Pre-clinical efficacy of PU-H71, a novel HSP90 inhibitor, alone and in combination with bortezomib in Ewing sarcoma.

Ewing sarcoma is characterized by multiple deregulated pathways that mediate cell survival and proliferation. Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is a critical component of the multi-chaperone complexes that regulate the disposition and activity of a large number of proteins involved in cell-signaling systems. We tested the efficacy of PU-H71, a novel HSP90 inhibitor in Ewing sarcoma cell lines, primary samples, benign mesenchymal stromal cells and hematopoietic stem cells. We performed cell cycle analysis, clonogenic assay, immunoblot analysis and reverse phase protein array in Ewing cell lines and in vivo experiments in NSG and nude mice using the A673 cell line. We noted a significant therapeutic window in the activity of PU-H71 against Ewing cell lines and benign cells. PU-H71 treatment resulted in G2/M phase arrest. Exposure to PU-H71 resulted in depletion of critical proteins including AKT, pERK, RAF-1, c-MYC, c-KIT, IGF1R, hTERT and EWS-FLI1 in Ewing cell lines. Our results indicated that Ewing sarcoma tumor growth and the metastatic burden were significantly reduced in the mice injected with PU-H71 compared to the control mice. We also investigated the effects of bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor, alone and in combination with PU-H71 in Ewing sarcoma. Combination index (CI)-Fa plots and normalized isobolograms indicated synergism between PU-H71 and bortezomib. Ewing sarcoma xenografts were significantly inhibited when mice were treated with the combination compared to vehicle or either drug alone. This provides a strong rationale for clinical evaluation of PU-H71 alone and in combination with bortezomib in Ewing sarcoma.