ABSTRACT
IFN-alpha is commonly used for biotherapy of neuroendocrine carcinomas. However, its antitumor efficacy is often limited due to IFN resistance. In this study, we evaluate the role of suppressor of cytokine signaling protein 1 (SOCS1) in modulating the effects of type I IFNs (IFN-alpha and IFN-beta) in human neuroendocrine BON1 and CM tumor cells. In both cell lines, type I IFNs activated signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) and significantly decreased cell viability. However, the effects of IFN-beta were significantly more pronounced than those of IFN-alpha and involved the induction of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway as shown by cleavage of caspase-8, Bid, and caspase-9. Stable overexpression of SOCS1 completely abolished the apoptotic effects of both type I IFNs. In contrast, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated silencing of SOCS1 resulted in strongly enhanced type I IFN signaling as shown by increased and prolonged STAT phosphorylation and stronger induction of apoptosis. Silencing of SOCS1 was associated with down-regulation of basal Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL and up-regulation of basal Bak and Bax, suggesting that reduced SOCS1 expression might lower the threshold of susceptibility to type I IFN-mediated apoptosis by decreasing the ratio of antiapoptotic to proapoptotic molecules. In summary, our results indicate an important role of SOCS1 in IFN resistance of neuroendocrine tumor cells, mediated through negative regulation of type I IFN-induced Jak/STAT signaling. Knocking down SOCS1 by siRNA is a promising new approach to enhance the therapeutic potency of type I IFNs in neuroendocrine tumors.
Subject(s)
Interferon Type I/pharmacology , Neuroendocrine Tumors/therapy , Pancreatic Neoplasms/therapy , Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors , Apoptosis/drug effects , Apoptosis/genetics , Apoptosis/immunology , Cell Cycle/genetics , Cell Cycle/immunology , Cell Line, Tumor , Combined Modality Therapy , Down-Regulation , Humans , Interferon Type I/immunology , Neuroendocrine Tumors/genetics , Neuroendocrine Tumors/immunology , Neuroendocrine Tumors/pathology , Pancreatic Neoplasms/genetics , Pancreatic Neoplasms/immunology , Pancreatic Neoplasms/pathology , Phosphorylation , RNA, Small Interfering/genetics , STAT Transcription Factors/metabolism , Signal Transduction , Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 1 Protein , Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins/biosynthesis , Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins/genetics , TransfectionABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIM: Tumors exhibiting constitutively activated PI(3)K/Akt/mTOR signaling are hypersensitive to mTOR inhibitors such as RAD001 (everolimus) which is presently being investigated in clinical phase II trials in various tumor entities, including neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). However, no preclinical data about the effects of RAD001 on NET cells have been published. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of RAD001 on BON cells, a human pancreatic NET cell line that exhibits constitutively activated PI(3)K/Akt/mTOR signaling. METHODS: BON cells were treated with different concentrations of RAD001 to analyze its effect on cell growth using proliferation assays. Apoptosis was examined by Western blot analysis of caspase-3/PARP cleavage and by FACS analysis of DNA fragmentation. RESULTS: RAD001 potently inhibited BON cell growth in a dose-dependent manner which was dependent on the serum concentration in the medium. RAD001-induced growth inhibition involved G0/G1-phase arrest as well as induction of apoptosis. CONCLUSION: In summary, our data demonstrate antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of RAD001 in NET cells in vitro supporting its clinical use in current phase II trials in NET patients.
Subject(s)
Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Immunosuppressive Agents/pharmacology , Neuroectodermal Tumors/physiopathology , Pancreatic Neoplasms/physiopathology , Sirolimus/analogs & derivatives , Apoptosis/drug effects , Cell Cycle/drug effects , Cell Line, Tumor , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Everolimus , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects , Humans , Neuroectodermal Tumors/drug therapy , Pancreatic Neoplasms/drug therapy , Sirolimus/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) is used for biotherapy of neuroendocrine carcinomas. The interferon-lambdas (IL-28A/B and IL-29) are a novel group of interferons. In this study, we investigated the effects of the IFN-lambdas IL-28A and IL-29 on human neuroendocrine BON1 tumor cells. Similar to IFN-alpha, incubation of BON1 cells with IL-28A (10 ng/ml) and IL-29 (10 ng/ml) induced phosphorylation of STAT1, STAT2, and STAT3, significantly decreased cell numbers in a proliferation assay, and induced apoptosis as demonstrated by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-cleavage, caspase-3-cleavage, and DNA-fragmentation. Stable overexpression of suppressor of cytokine signaling proteins (SOCS1 and SOCS3) completely abolished the aforementioned effects indicating that SOCS proteins act as negative regulators of IFN-lambda signaling in BON1 cells. In conclusion, the novel IFN-lambdas IL-28A and IL-29 potently induce STAT signaling and antiproliferative effects in neuroendocrine BON1 tumor cells. Thus, IFN-lambdas may hint a promising new approach in the antiproliferative therapy of neuroendocrine tumors.
