Synergistic anticancer effects of the 9.2.27PE immunotoxin and ABT-737 in melanoma

PLoS One. 2011;6(9):e24012. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024012. Epub 2011 Sep 7.

Abstract

In cancer, combinations of drugs targeting different cellular functions is well accepted to improve tumor control. We studied the effects of a Pseudomonas exotoxin A (PE)-based immunotoxin, the 9.2.27PE, and the BH-3 mimetic compound ABT-737 in a panel of melanoma cell lines. The drug combination resulted in synergistic cytotoxicity, and the cell death observed was associated with apoptosis, as activation of caspase-3, inactivation of Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and increased DNA fragmentation could be prevented by pre-treatment with caspase and cathepsin inhibitors. We further show that ABT-737 caused endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress with increased GRP78 and phosphorylated eIF2α protein levels. Moreover, treatment with ABT-737 increased the intracellular calcium levels, an effect which was enhanced by 9.2.27PE, which as a single entity drug had minimal effect on calcium release from the ER. In addition, silencing of Mcl-1 by short hairpin RNA (shRNA) enhanced the intracellular calcium levels and cytotoxicity caused by ABT-737. Notably, the combination of 9.2.27PE and ABT-737 caused growth delay in a human melanoma xenograft mice model, supporting further investigations of this particular drug combination.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols
  • Biphenyl Compounds / pharmacology
  • Biphenyl Compounds / therapeutic use*
  • Blotting, Western
  • Calcium / metabolism
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • DNA Fragmentation / drug effects
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunotoxins / pharmacology
  • Immunotoxins / therapeutic use*
  • Melanoma / drug therapy*
  • Melanoma / metabolism
  • Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / drug effects
  • Mice
  • Mice, Nude
  • Nitrophenols / pharmacology
  • Nitrophenols / therapeutic use*
  • Piperazines / pharmacology
  • Piperazines / therapeutic use
  • Sulfonamides / pharmacology
  • Sulfonamides / therapeutic use*
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • ABT-737
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Biphenyl Compounds
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP
  • HSPA5 protein, human
  • Hspa5 protein, mouse
  • Immunotoxins
  • Nitrophenols
  • Piperazines
  • Sulfonamides
  • Calcium