Accumulation of p53 and reductions in XIAP abundance promote the apoptosis of prostate cancer cells.

Toward the goal of developing effective treatments for prostate cancers, we examined the effects of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors on the survival of prostate cancer cells. We show that roscovitine, R-roscovitine, and CGP74514A (collectively referred to as CKIs) induce the apoptosis of LNCaP and LNCaP-Rf cells, both of which express wild-type p53. Apoptosis required caspase-9 and caspase-3 activity, and cytochrome c accumulated in the cytosol of CKI-treated cells. Amounts of p53 increased substantially in CKI-treated cells, whereas amounts of the endogenous caspase inhibitor XIAP decreased. CKIs did not appreciably induce the apoptosis of LNCaP cells treated with pifithrin-alpha, which prevents p53 accumulation, or of prostate cancer cells that lack p53 function (PC3 and DU145). Ectopic expression of p53 in PC3 cells for 44 hours did not reduce XIAP abundance or induce apoptosis. However, p53-expressing PC3 cells readily apoptosed when exposed to CKIs or when depleted of XIAP by RNA interference. These findings show that CKIs induce the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis of prostate cancer cells by a dual mechanism: p53 accumulation and XIAP depletion. They suggest that these events in combination may prove useful in the treatment of advanced prostate cancers.

Roscovitine inhibits STAT5 activity and induces apoptosis in the human leukemia virus type 1-transformed cell line MT-2.

T cells expressing human leukemia virus (HTLV) type 1, the etiological agent of adult T-cell leukemia, are remarkably resistant to conventional chemotherapy, and the need for drugs that effectively kill these cells is apparent. Here we show that roscovitine, an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), induces the apoptosis of the HTLV-1-transformed T-cell line MT-2. Roscovitine prevented the tyrosine phosphorylation and consequent activation of the transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 5 when presented to MT-2 cells in the presence or absence of a caspase-3 inhibitor, and ectopic expression of a dominant-negative form of STAT5 in MT-2 cells induced apoptosis. Roscovitine and dominant-negative STAT5 also reduced the expression of the antiapoptotic protein XIAP, and STAT5 was associated with the XIAP promoter in vivo. Antibody to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) alpha receptors coprecipitated STAT5 from extracts of untreated but not roscovitine-treated cells. The tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor sodium orthovanadate ablated the inhibitory effects of roscovitine on STAT5/PDGF alpha receptor interaction, STAT5 activity, and cell survival. We suggest that roscovitine reduces the abundance of tyrosine-phosphorylated PDGF alpha receptors; as a result, STAT5 does not become active, and STAT5 gene products required for cell survival are not expressed.

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor SCH 727965 (dinacliclib) induces the apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells.

Although rare, osteosarcoma is an aggressive cancer that often metastasizes to the lungs. Toward the goal of developing new treatment options for osteosarcoma, we show that the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor SCH 727965 (SCH) induces the apoptosis of several osteosarcoma cell lines including those resistant to doxorubicin and dasatinib. Cell lines prepared in our laboratory from patients who had received adjuvant chemotherapy and explants derived from a human osteosarcoma xenograft in mice were also responsive to SCH. Apoptosis occurred at low nanomolar concentrations of SCH, as did CDK inhibition, and was p53-independent. SCH activated the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis as evidenced by caspase-9 cleavage and accumulation of cytoplasmic cytochrome c. Amounts of the apoptotic proteins Bax and Bim increased in mitochondria, whereas amounts of the antiapoptotic proteins Mcl-1 and Bcl-x(L) declined. Osteosarcoma cells apoptosed when codepleted of CDK1 and CDK2 but not when depleted of other CDK combinations. We suggest that SCH triggers the apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells by inactivating CDK1 and CDK2 and that SCH may be useful for treatment of drug-resistant osteosarcomas. SCH also induced the apoptosis of other sarcoma types but not of normal quiescent osteoblasts or fibroblasts.

Apoptosis of metastatic prostate cancer cells by a combination of cyclin-dependent kinase and AKT inhibitors.

Effective treatments for advanced prostate cancer are much needed. Toward this goal, we show apoptosis and impaired long-term survival of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells (PC3 and PC3 derivatives) co-treated with the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor roscovitine and an AKT inhibitor (LY294002 or API-2). Apoptosis of PC3 cells by the drug combination required caspase-9 but not caspase-8 activity and thus is mitochondria-dependent. Roscovitine reduced amounts of the caspase inhibitor XIAP, and API-2 increased amounts of the BH3-only protein Bim. PC3 cells apoptosed when co-treated with API-2 and either cdk9 siRNA, dominant-negative cdk9, or the cdk9 inhibitor DRB; they did not apoptose when co-treated with API-2 and XIAP siRNA. Bax accumulated in mitochondria in response to API-2, whereas release of cytochrome c from mitochondria required both API-2 and roscovitine. We suggest that roscovitine elicits events that activate Bax once it translocates to mitochondria and that inactivation of cdk9 signals these events and the down-regulation of XIAP. Collectively, our data show apoptosis of prostate cancer cells by a drug combination and identify Bax activation as a basis of cooperation.