RESUMO
To evaluate the role of the MEK/ERK pathway in NSCLC survival, we analyzed NSCLC cell lines that differed in tumor histology and status of p53, Rb, and K-ras. Constitutive ERK1/2 activity was demonstrated in 17 of 19 cell lines by maintenance of ERK1/2 phosphorylation with serum deprivation. Phosphorylation of ERK1/2 correlated with phosphorylation of MEK1/2 and p90RSK, but was inversely correlated with phosphorylation of c-Raf at S259. With serum deprivation, the MEK inhibitors, PD98059 and U0126, inhibited ERK1/2 activity but did not increase apoptosis. PD98059 and U0126 induced cell cycle arrest in G(0)/G(i) in cells with the highest levels of ERK1/2 activity, which correlated with induction of p27 but not p21. To confirm the cytostatic response to MEK inhibitors, we performed transient transfections with dominant negative forms of MEK or ERK. Surprisingly, dominant negative MEK and ERK mutants increased apoptosis without affecting cell cycle or p27 levels. When combined with paclitaxel, MEK inhibitors had no effect on apoptosis. In contrast, dominant negative ERK2 potentiated paclitaxel-induced apoptosis. Our studies show that constitutive ERK1/2 activity in NSCLC cells promotes cellular survival and chemotherapeutic resistance. Moreover, our data are the first to demonstrate divergent cellular responses to inhibition of the MEK/ERK pathway by small molecule inhibitors or dominant negative mutants.
Assuntos
Apoptose/genética , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/enzimologia , Neoplasias Pulmonares/enzimologia , Sistema de Sinalização das MAP Quinases/genética , Quinases de Proteína Quinase Ativadas por Mitógeno/genética , Proteínas Quinases Ativadas por Mitógeno/genética , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/genética , Antineoplásicos/farmacologia , Apoptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/tratamento farmacológico , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/genética , Sobrevivência Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Sobrevivência Celular/genética , Resistencia a Medicamentos Antineoplásicos/genética , Inibidores Enzimáticos/farmacologia , Variação Genética/efeitos dos fármacos , Variação Genética/genética , Humanos , Neoplasias Pulmonares/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias Pulmonares/genética , MAP Quinase Quinase 1 , Sistema de Sinalização das MAP Quinases/efeitos dos fármacos , Quinases de Proteína Quinase Ativadas por Mitógeno/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteínas Quinases Ativadas por Mitógeno/antagonistas & inibidores , Mutação/efeitos dos fármacos , Mutação/genética , Fosforilação/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/antagonistas & inibidores , Fase de Repouso do Ciclo Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Fase de Repouso do Ciclo Celular/genética , Transfecção , Células Tumorais Cultivadas , Regulação para Cima/efeitos dos fármacos , Regulação para Cima/genéticaRESUMO
To evaluate the role of Akt/PKB in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) survival, we analyzed NSCLC cell lines that differed in tumor histology as well as p53, Rb, and K-ras status. Constitutive Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) activity was demonstrated in 16 of 17 cell lines by maintenance of S473 phosphorylation with serum deprivation. Additional analysis of five of 2these NSCLC lines revealed that phosphorylation of S473 and T308 correlated with in vitro kinase activity. Akt/PKB activation was phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent and promoted survival because the phosphatidylinositol 3 inhibitors LY294002 and wortmannin inhibited Akt/PKB phosphorylation, Akt/PKB activity, and increased apoptosis only in cells with active Akt/PKB. To test whether Akt/PKB activity promoted therapeutic resistance, LY294002 was added with individual chemotherapeutic agents or irradiation. LY294002 greatly potentiated chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in cells with high Akt/PKB levels, but did not significantly increase chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in cells with low Akt/PKB levels. Combined with radiation in cells with active Akt/PKB, LY294002 additively increased apoptosis and inhibited clonogenic growth. These results were extended with transiently transfected Akt/PKB mutants. Transfecting dominant negative Akt/PKB decreased Akt/PKB activity and increased basal apoptosis as well as chemotherapy- and irradiation-induced apoptosis only in cells with high Akt/PKB activity. Conversely, transfecting constitutively active Akt/PKB into cells with low Akt/PKB activity increased Akt/PKB activity and attenuated chemotherapy- and radiation-induced apoptosis. We therefore identify Akt/PKB as a constitutively active kinase that promotes survival of NSCLC cells and demonstrate that modulation of Akt/PKB activity by pharmacological or genetic approaches alters the cellular responsiveness to therapeutic modalities typically used to treat patients with NSCLC.