Quercetin affects Hsp70/IRE1α mediated protection from death induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Relative to their normal counterparts, tumor cells generally exhibit a greater "stress phenotype" and express heat shock proteins (Hsp) that represent candidate targets for anticancer therapy. Here we investigated the role of Hsp70 in survival induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stressors in human leukemia U937 cells. Quercetin, a major dietary flavonoid, or specific silencing affected the expression level of Hsp70 and did not allow the upregulation of inositol-requiring kinase 1α (IRE1α), the prototype ER stress sensor regulating the unfolded protein response (UPR), that protects the cells against the stress of misfolded proteins in the ER. The reduction of Hsp70 prevented the upregulation of immunoglobulin heavy-chain binding protein (BiP), but not of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-homologous protein (CHOP), and induced apoptosis. Also specific silencing of IRE1α or inhibition of its endoribonuclease activity by 4µ8c hampered the upregulation of BiP, but not of CHOP, and induced apoptosis. These results suggest that drugs affecting the Hsp70-IRE1α axis, like quercetin, or affecting directly IRE1α may represent an effective adjuvant antileukemia therapy.

Pro-death and pro-survival properties of ouabain in U937 lymphoma derived cells.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies revealed significantly lower mortality rates in cancer patients receiving cardiac glycosides, which turned on interest in the anticancer properties of these drugs. However, cardiac glycosides have also been shown to stimulate cell growth in several cell types. In the present investigation we analyzed the pro-death and pro-survival properties of ouabain in the human lymphoma derived cell line U937. METHODS: ROS, intracellular Ca++, cell cycle were evaluated by loading the cells with fluorescent probes under cytofluorimetry. Cell counts and evaluation of trypan blue-excluding cells were performed under optic microscope. Protein detection was done by specific antibodies after protein separation from cellular lysates by SDS-PAGE and transfer blot. RESULTS: High doses of ouabain cause ROS generation, elevation of [Ca++]i and death of lymphoma derived U937 cells. Lower doses of OUA activate a survival pathway in which plays a role the Na+/Ca++-exchanger (NCX), active in the Ca++ influx mode rather than in the Ca++ efflux mode. Also p38 MAPK plays a pro-survival role. However, the activation of this MAPK does not appear to depend on NCX. CONCLUSION: This investigation shows that the cardiac glycoside OUA is cytotoxic also for the lymphoma derived cell line U937 and that can activate a survival pathway in which are involved NCX and p38 MAPK. These molecules can represent potential targets of combined therapy.

Resveratrol inhibits proliferation and survival of Epstein Barr virus-infected Burkitt's lymphoma cells depending on viral latency program.

Resveratrol (3,4',5-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene), a polyphenolic natural product, shows chemopreventive properties against several cancers, heart diseases, inflammation, and viral infections. Epstein Barr virus (EBV), a γ-herpesvirus, contributes to the development of several human cancers including Burkitt's lymphoma (BL). In this study, we asked whether treatment with resveratrol would affect the viability of EBV-positive BL cells displaying different forms of latency. We report here that resveratrol, regardless of EBV status, induces caspase-dependent apoptosis by arresting cell-cycle progression in G(1) phase. However, resveratrol strongly induced apoptosis in EBV(-) and latency I EBV(+) cells, whereas latency II and latency III EBV(+) BL cells showed a survival advantage that increased with the extent of the pattern of viral gene expression. Resveratrol-induced cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis occurred in association with induction of p38 MAPK phosphorylation and suppression of ERK1/2 signaling pathway. Moreover, NF-κB DNA-binding activity was inhibited in all BL lines except EBV(+) latency III cells. LMP1 oncogene, which is expressed in latency III phenotype, is involved with the higher resistance to the antiproliferative effect of resveratrol because siRNA-mediated inhibition of LMP1 greatly increased the sensitivity of latency III BL cells as well as that of lymphoblastoid cell lines to the polyphenol. We propose that a combined resveratrol/siRNA strategy may be a novel approach for the treatment of EBV-associated B-cell malignancies in which the viral pattern of gene expression has been defined.