Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Undecylprodigiosin selectively induces apoptosis in human breast carcinoma cells independent of p53

Journal Article · · Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [4];  [5]; ;  [6];  [7];  [8]
  1. Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, 250 Kuo-Kuang Road, Taichung 40227, Taiwan (China)
  2. Graduate School of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Yuan Ze University, Taoyuan, Taiwan (China)
  3. Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan (China)
  4. Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan (China)
  5. Department of Animal Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan (China)
  6. Institute of Medical and Molecular Toxicology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan (China)
  7. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan (China)
  8. Department of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan (China)

Undecylprodigiosin (UP) is a bacterial bioactive metabolite produced by Streptomyces and Serratia. In this study, we explored the anticancer effect of UP. Human breast carcinoma cell lines BT-20, MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and T47D and one nonmalignant human breast epithelial cell line, MCF-10A, were tested in this study. We found that UP exerted a potent cytotoxicity against all breast carcinoma cell lines in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In contrast, UP showed limited toxicity to MCF-10A cells, indicating UP's cytotoxic effect is selective for malignant cells. UP's cytotoxic effect was due to apoptosis, as confirmed by positive TUNEL signals, annexin V-binding, caspase 9 activation and PARP cleavage. Notably, UP-induced apoptosis was blocked by the pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD.fmk, further indicating the involvement of caspase activity. Moreover, UP caused a marked decrease of the levels of antiapoptotic BCL-X{sub L}, Survivin and XIAP while enhancing the levels of proapoptotic BIK, BIM, MCL-1S and NOXA, consequently favoring induction of apoptosis. Additionally, we found that cells with functional p53 (MCF-7, T47D) or mutant p53 (BT-20, MDA-MB-231) were both susceptible to UP's cytotoxicity. Importantly, UP was able to induce apoptosis in MCF-7 cells with p53 knockdown by RNA interference, confirming the dispensability of p53 in UP-induced apoptosis. Overall, our results establish that UP induces p53-independent apoptosis in breast carcinoma cells with no marked toxicity to nonmalignant cells, raising the possibility of its use as a new chemotherapeutic drug for breast cancer irrespective of p53 status.

OSTI ID:
21077879
Journal Information:
Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, Journal Name: Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 225; ISSN TXAPA9; ISSN 0041-008X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English