This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Chen, Y. Articles by Porter, C. W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Chen, Y. Articles by Porter, C. W.

The Role of Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Activation in Determining Cellular Outcomes in Polyamine Analogue-treated Human Melanoma Cells¹

Grace Cancer Drug Center, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York 14263 [Y. C., S. V., D. L. K., K. K., P. D., C. W. P.], and Department of Cell and Organism Biology, University of Lund, 3B 233 62, Sweden [K. A.]

The clinically relevant polyamine analogue N¹,N¹¹-diethylnorspermine (DENSPM) inhibits cell growth by down-regulating polyamine biosynthesis, up-regulating polyamine catabolism at the level of spermidine/spermine N¹-acetyltransferase (SSAT), and depleting intracellular polyamine pools. Among human melanoma cell lines, the analogue causes rapid apoptosis in SK-MEL-28 cells and a sharp G₁ arrest in MALME-3M cells. This study reveals that DENSPM potently activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways in melanoma cells and investigates the role of this response in determining cellular outcomes. Onset of apoptosis was preceded by an intense phosphorylation of the MAPKs, including extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, c-Jun NH₂-terminal kinase, and p38 in both SK-MEL-28 and MALME-3M cells. A panel of DENSPM analogues differing only in their ability to induce SSAT was used to show that MAPK activation was causally linked to induction of SSAT activity and related oxidative events. The latter was confirmed with the polyamine oxidase inhibitor MDL-75275 and the antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine, which when used in combination with DENSPM, decreased MAPK activation and as previously shown, reduced apoptosis. The MAP/extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1 inhibitor PD 98059 reduced activation of all three kinases but failed to alter apoptosis in DENSPM-treated SK-MEL-28 cells. By contrast, the inhibitor prevented p21^waf1/cip1 induction and enhanced apoptosis in MALME-3M cells as indicated by accelerated caspase-3 activation and positive annexin V staining. The generality of this effect was demonstrated in DENSPM-treated A375 and LOX human melanoma cells. Taken together, the importance of the MAPK pathways in determining the biological response to DENSPM treatment is dependent on the genetic environment of the cell.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. E. Lasbury, S. Merali, P. J. Durant, D. Tschang, C. A. Ray, and C.-H. Lee Polyamine-mediated Apoptosis of Alveolar Macrophages during Pneumocystis Pneumonia J. Biol. Chem., April 13, 2007; 282(15): 11009 - 11020. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				X. Hu, S. Washington, M. F. Verderame, and A. Manni Interaction between Polyamines and the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Pathway in the Regulation of Cell Cycle Variables in Breast Cancer Cells Cancer Res., December 1, 2005; 65(23): 11026 - 11033. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. Huang, J. C. Keen, E. Hager, R. Smith, A. Hacker, B. Frydman, A. L. Valasinas, V. K. Reddy, L. J. Marton, R. A. Casero Jr., et al. Regulation of Polyamine Analogue Cytotoxicity by c-Jun in Human MDA-MB-435 Cancer Cells Mol. Cancer Res., February 1, 2004; 2(2): 81 - 88. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]