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Lookup NU author(s): Lan Wang, Professor Nicola CurtinORCiD, Professor Herbie Newell
Transient treatment with small molecule CDK inhibitors is toxic to cancer cells and leads to depletion of anti-apoptotic proteins and Chk1, coupled with DNA damage and induction of apoptosis. Here we have examined, which of these phenomena are necessary for CDK inhibitors to have an anti-proliferative effect. We find that 24 hours treatment with either a primarily CDK2-specific, or a primarily CDK7/9-specific, antagonist eliminates proliferative potential even if apoptosis is blocked and the tendency of CDK inhibition to result in DNA damage is overcome by expression of recombinant Chk1. Loss of proliferative potential is correlated with irreversible suppression of biomarkers of cell cycle progression. CDK inhibitors dramatically reduced levels of the anti-apoptotic proteins, Mcl-1 and XIAP, but siRNA-mediated suppression of Mcl-1 and XIAP did not induce cell death in the osteosarcoma cells used in this study. Finally, we found that many literature CDK inhibitors do not effectively suppress the CDK/cyclin complexes responsible for cell cycle progression at the minimum doses required to block proliferation: some are only effective after a substantial delay and may act via inhibition of CDK7.
Author(s): Scrace SF, Kierstan P, Borgognoni J, Wang LZ, Denny S, Wayne J, Bentley C, Cansfield AD, Jackson PS, Lockie AM, Curtin NJ, Newell DR, Williamson DS, Moore JD
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Cell Cycle
Year: 2008
Volume: 7
Issue: 24
Pages: 3898-3907
Date deposited: 24/11/2010
ISSN (print): 1538-4101
ISSN (electronic): 1551-4005
Publisher: Landes Bioscience
URL: http://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/6/article/7345/
PubMed id: 19066469
