sq-23377 and navitoclax

PMCA2 overexpression in some breast cancers suggests that this calcium pump isoform may play a role in breast pathophysiology. To investigate PMCA2 as a potential drug target for breast cancer therapy, we assessed the functional consequence of PMCA2 silencing on cell death pathways and calcium signals in the basal-like MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line. Silencing PMCA2 expression alone has no effect on MDA-MB-231 cell viability, however, PMCA2 silencing promotes calcium-induced cell death initiated with the calcium ionophore ionomycin. Assessment of cytoplasmic calcium responses generated with various agents including ionomycin demonstrates that in MDA-MB-231 cells, PMCA2 does not play a major role in shaping global calcium signals. We also examined the ability of PMCA2 silencing to modulate caspase-dependent cell death triggered by a Bcl-2 inhibitor that is in clinical development for the treatment of various cancers, ABT-263 (Navitoclax). Despite the lack of effect on global calcium responses, PMCA2 silencing augmented Bcl-2 inhibitor (ABT-263)-mediated MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell death. These studies provide evidence that PMCA2 inhibitors could sensitize PMCA2-positive breast cancers to cell death initiators that work through mechanisms involving the Bcl-2 survival pathway.

Topics: Aniline Compounds; Antineoplastic Agents; Apoptosis; Breast Neoplasms; Calcium; Calcium Ionophores; Caspases; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Survival; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Humans; Ionomycin; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Plasma Membrane Calcium-Transporting ATPases; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA Interference; Sulfonamides

The mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) transports free ionic Ca(2+) into the mitochondrial matrix. We assessed MCU expression in clinical breast cancer samples using microarray analysis and the consequences of MCU silencing in a breast cancer cell line. Our results indicate that estrogen receptor negative and basal-like breast cancers are characterized by elevated levels of MCU. Silencing of MCU expression in the basal-like MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line produced no change in proliferation or cell viability. However, distinct consequences of MCU silencing were seen on cell death pathways. Caspase-dependent cell death initiated by the Bcl-2 inhibitor ABT-263 was not altered by MCU silencing; whereas caspase-independent cell death induced by the calcium ionophore ionomycin was potentiated by MCU silencing. Measurement of cytosolic Ca(2+) levels showed that the promotion of ionomycin-induced cell death by MCU silencing occurs independently of changes in bulk cytosolic Ca(2+) levels. This study demonstrates that MCU overexpression is a feature of some breast cancers and that MCU overexpression may offer a survival advantage against some cell death pathways. MCU inhibitors may be a strategy to increase the effectiveness of therapies that act through the induction of caspase-independent cell death pathways in estrogen receptor negative and basal-like breast cancers.

Topics: Aniline Compounds; Antineoplastic Agents; Breast Neoplasms; Calcium Channels; Caspases; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Female; Gene Silencing; Humans; Ionomycin; Mitochondria; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger; Sulfonamides