
[Cancer Research 60, 3477-3483, July 1, 2000]
© 2000 American Association for Cancer Research
Chemopreventive Properties of trans-Resveratrol Are Associated with Inhibition of Activation of the I
B Kinase1
Minnie Holmes-McNary and
Albert S. Baldwin, Jr.2
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center [M. H-M., A. S. B.] and Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology [A. S. B.], University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7295
 |
ABSTRACT
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trans-Resveratrol (Res), a phytoalexin found at high
levels in grapes and in grape products such as red wine, has been shown
to have anti-inflammatory and antioncogenic properties. Because the
transcription factor nuclear factor
B (NF-
B) is involved in
inflammatory diseases and oncogenesis, we tested whether Res could
modulate NF-
B activity. Res was shown to be a potent inhibitor of
both NF-
B activation and NF-
B-dependent gene expression through
its ability to inhibit I
B kinase activity, the key regulator in
NF-
B activation, likely by inhibiting an upstream signaling
component. In addition, Res blocked the expression of mRNA-encoding
monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, a NF-
B-regulated gene. Relative
to cancer chemopreventive properties, Res induced apoptosis in
fibroblasts after the induced expression of oncogenic H-Ras. Thus, Res
is likely to function by inhibiting inflammatory and oncogenic
diseases, at least in part, through the inhibition of NF-
B
activation by blocking I
B kinase activity. These data may also
explain aspects of the so-called "French paradox" that is
associated with reduced mortality from coronary heart disease and
certain cancers and provide a molecular rationale for the role of a
potent chemopreventive compound in blocking the initiation of
inflammation and oncogenesis.
 |
INTRODUCTION
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Significant interest surrounds dietary approaches directed toward
the prevention of disease initiation and progression.
Res3
(trans-3, 4',5-trihydroxystilbene), a natural phytoalexin
found in grapes and grape products such as red wine, has anticancer and
anti-inflammatory effects (1
, 2)
. These findings are
consistent with epidemiological studies that defined the so-called
"French paradox" (3
, 4)
as the association of reduced
mortality from coronary heart disease and breast cancer (4
, 5)
with increased red wine consumption. In addition, Res was
found to have both estrogenic/antiestrogenic activities in
vitro and in vivo (6, 7, 8)
and antioxidant
properties (1
, 9, 10, 11, 12)
. Recently, Res has been shown to
possess chemopreventive activity by inhibiting cellular events
associated with tumor initiation, promotion, and progression (1
, 13
, 14) ; by inhibiting ribonucleotide reductase
(15)
; and by inhibiting proliferation of some cancer cells
in vitro (8
, 13
, 16
, 17)
. Pertinent to cancer
prevention, Res also suppresses the expression of inducible nitric
oxide synthase (17)
and cyclooxygenase-2 (1
, 18)
, which is likely to contribute to both its anti-inflammatory
and antioncogenic mechanism. Despite these important advances, the
molecular mechanism(s) by which Res exerts its broad biological effects
has not yet been elucidated.
The transcription factor NF-
B is strongly linked to inflammatory and
immune responses (19, 20, 21, 22)
and is associated with
oncogenesis in certain models of cancer (23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
. NF-
B
is important for the regulation of cell proliferation, cell
transformation, and tumor development (28, 29, 30, 31)
. Recently,
we demonstrated that oncogenic forms of Ras (32)
and the
oncoprotein Bcr-Abl (26)
both activate NF-
B through the
activation of the transcriptional function of the RelA/p65
subunit. Furthermore, not only is NF-
B activity required for Ras to
initiate cellular transformation, but it is also required for
Bcr-Abl-initiated tumorigenesis and transformation (26
, 32)
. Activated NF-
B has been found in primary breast tumors
(25
, 33)
and has been shown to be required for
proliferation and survival of Hodgkins disease tumor cells
(24)
. In terms of cell proliferation, breast cancer and
other cancers often exhibit high levels of cyclin D1 (34
, 35) , and we and others have shown that NF-
B activates
transcription of the cyclin D1 gene (36
, 37)
.
Importantly, the requirement for NF-
B in oncogenesis appears to be
based, at least in part, on its ability to suppress
transformation-associated apoptosis (23)
.
NF-
B activity is regulated in part by its subcellular localization.
Under noninduced conditions, NF-
B is sequestered in the cytoplasm
through interactions with an inhibitor protein known as I
B
(28, 29, 30, 31)
. Numerous extracellular stimuli can activate
NF-
B through signal transduction pathways that activate an IKK
complex that phosphorylates I
B
on serines 32 and 36. The
phosphorylation of I
B
leads to its ubiquitination and ultimate
degradation by the proteasome (28, 29, 30, 31)
, allowing NF-
B
to translocate to the nucleus where it activates the expression of
genes. Activation of the NF-
B/Rel family of transcription factors
regulates the expression of genes that participate in pathways
involving inflammation, cell proliferation, and apoptosis
(28, 29, 30, 31)
, including the inflammatory mediators nitric
oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 (38
, 39)
. Although
numerous effects have been described for Res, the molecular mechanisms
responsible for its anti-inflammatory and antioncogenic effects are not
yet clear. Here we asked whether the chemopreventive effect of Res
occurs through inhibition of NF-
B activation, and, if so, through
what mechanism.
 |
MATERIALS AND METHODS
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Cell Cultures and Cell Extracts
Human monocyte (THP-1) and macrophage (U937) cell lines were
grown in RPMI 1640 supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum,
5 x 10-5
M ß-mercaptoethanol, and 1% penstrep. Cells were
seeded at a density of 106 cells/ml and cultured
at 37°C in a 5% CO2 atmosphere. Purified Res
was purchased from Sigma (St. Louis, MO) and prepared according to the
manufacturers protocol. Briefly, for all experiments, a 50 mg/ml
stock solution prepared in 100% ethanol was used. Cells were
preincubated for 60 min with Res (30 µM) and stimulated
with either TNF (Promega; 10 ng/ml) for 15 min or with LPS (Promega; 1
µg/ml) for 4 h. CEs and NEs were prepared as described
previously (40)
and stored at -70°C. Rat1:iRas cultures
expressing the IPTG-inducible oncogenic H-Ras allele (23)
were cultured
in DMEM supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. Before the
experiments, subconfluent Rat1:iRas cell cultures were serum-starved
for 4 h and either left untreated or stimulated with 5
mM IPTG in the presence or absence of Res.
EMSA
NEs (510 µg) were preincubated with 1 µg of
poly(deoxyinosinic-deoxycytidylic acid) in binding buffer (10
mM Tris, 50 mM NaCl, 20% glycerol, 1
mM DTT, and 0.5 mM EDTA) for 10 min at room
temperature. Approximately 30,000 cpm of
32P-labeled DNA probe containing the murine MHC
class I NF-
B DNA binding site (41)
were added and
allowed to bind for 15 min. The complexes were separated by 5% PAGE
and detected by autoradiography. Specificity of binding was examined by
competition with excess unlabeled oligonucleotide (UV21). For
supershift assays, NEs were incubated with antibodies against p50 and
p65 subunits of NF-
B for 20 min at room temperature before analysis
by EMSA.
Transfection and Gene Expression Assay
3X
B-Luc Assay.
THP-1 cells were cotransfected using DEAE/dextran with the empty
expression vector (pDCR) and either the 3X
B-luc reporter or the
super-repressor form of I
B
(SR-I
B
) expression vector
(42)
. Transfections used 5.0 µg of the pDCR empty
expression vector only, 1.0 µg of the 3X
B-luc reporter, or 1.0
µg of the SR-I
B
expression vector and were brought to a final
concentration of 5.0 µg with the empty vector. After 48 h, cells
were pretreated for 60 min with Res (30 µM) and
stimulated for 6 h with TNF (10 ng/ml). Cell lysates were made by
freeze-thawing three times. Protein concentrations were determined, and
100 mg of protein were assayed for luciferase activity as described
previously (32
, 43)
. The results (Fig. 2A)
are expressed as the fold luciferase induction
relative to the transfection that contained the empty expression
vector, whose value was placed at 1.0.

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Fig. 2. Res suppresses NF- B-regulated gene expression.
A, THP-1 cells were cotransfected using DEAE/dextran
with the empty expression vector (pDCR) and either the 3X B-luc
reporter or the super-repressor form of I B (SR-I B )
expression vector. To inhibit NF- B activity, SR-I B , which
cannot be phosphorylated or degraded, was used to block nuclear
translocation and subsequent transactivation of NF- B-responsive
genes (42)
. Transfections used 5.0 µg of the pDCR empty
expression vector only, 1.0 µg of the 3X B-luc reporter, or 1.0
µg of the SR-I B expression vector and were brought to a final
concentration of 5 µg with the empty vector. After 48 h, cells
were prepared as described. The results are expressed as the fold
luciferase induction relative to the transfection that contained the
empty expression vector, whose value was placed at 1.0.
Bars, mean ± SE determined from at least
three independent transfection experiments. Statistical analysis was
performed by ANOVA (StatView), and different letters between groups
indicate significant difference at b, P < 0.01
and c, P < 0.05. B, THP-1 cells
were cotransfected along with the pDCR empty expression vector as
described above, except that either 1.0 µg of a NF- B CAT-linked
reporter containing WT HIV-LTR-CAT or 1.0 µg of a MUT HIV-LTR-CAT in
which both inducible B sites have been mutated. Pretreatment
and stimulation were as described, cells were harvested, and CAT
activity was determined. The results are expressed as the fold CAT
induction as described above. Bars, mean ± SE determined from at least three independent transfection
experiments. Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA (StatView),
and different letters between groups indicate
significant difference at P > 0.01. C, THP-1
cells were pretreated with Res (30 µM), followed by TNF
(10 ng/ml) stimulation for 3 h. Total RNA was reverse transcribed
and amplified by PCR (RT-PCR) using specific primers for MCP-1 and
actin. A representative photograph was scanned, and MCP-1 mRNA levels
were quantitated by PhosphorImager analysis (Molecular Dynamics). Data
are representative of three independent experiments.
|
|
CAT Assay.
THP-1 cells were cotransfected along with the pDCR empty expression
vector as described above, except that either 1.0 µg of a NF-
B
CAT-linked reporter containing the WT HIV-LTR-CAT or 1.0 µg of a MUT
HIV-LTR-CAT in which both inducible
B sites have been
mutated. Pretreatment and stimulation were as described above,
and cells were harvested, and the CAT activity was determined. The
results are expressed as the fold CAT induction as described above.
Bars (Fig. 2B)
represent the
mean ± SE determined from at least three independent
transfection experiments. Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA
(StatView), and different letters between groups indicate significant
difference at P > 0.01.
 |
RT-PCR
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THP-1 cells were pretreated with Res (30
µM), followed by TNF (10 ng/ml) stimulation for 3 h.
RNA was isolated using the Trizol method (Life Technologies, Inc.), and
1 µg of total RNA was reverse-transcribed and amplified by PCR
(RT-PCR) using specific primers for MCP-1 and actin (44)
,
as described previously. The oligonucleotide primers used were as
follows: (a) MCP-1, 5'-GGCTGAGCCCACTTATCACTCATGG-3' (5'
primer) and 5'-GGAAGCTTGCTGGAGGCGAGAGTGCGAG-3' (3' primer); and
(b) actin, 5'-CCAACCGCGAGAAGATGACC-3' (5' primer) and
5'-GATCTTCATGAGGTAGTCAGT-3' (3' primer). Actin was used to determine
equal protein loading. The PCR temperatures used were 94°C for
45 s, 55°C (actin) and 60°C (MCP-1) for 30 s, and 72°C
for 90 s, followed by extension for 10 min at 72°C. The PCR
reaction was set for various cycles (2035 cycles) to maintain the
linearity of the amplification. The PCR products (10 µl) were
electrophoresed on a 2% agarose gel containing gel star fluorescent
dye (FMC Corp., Philadelphia, PA). A representative photograph was
scanned and analyzed. Negative controls consisted of tubes with and
without RNA. MCP-1 mRNA levels were quantitated by PhosphorImager
analysis (Molecular Dynamics). Data are representative of three
independent experiments.
 |
Western Blotting
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Equal amounts of CEs were resolved on a 10% SDS-polyacrylamide
gel and transferred to nitrocellulose membrane. Blots were blocked in
5% milk in 1x TBST (Tris-buffered saline and 0.5% Tween 20) and
probed with a specific I
B
antibody (1:1000; Rockland). Blots were
probed with a secondary antirabbit antibody conjugated with horseradish
peroxidase (1:10,000; Promega). Protein bands were visualized with an
enhanced chemiluminescence detection system (ECL; Amersham Life
Technologies).
 |
In Vitro Kinase Assay
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THP-1 cells were treated as described above for the indicated
time periods. Whole cell extracts were prepared, and IKK was
immunoprecipitated with a specific antibody to the IKK-ß subunit. IKK
activity was measured using a GST-I
B-
154(154) WT or a MUT
GST-I
B-
substrate (45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
. IKK activity was
measured using a GST-I
B-
154(154) (4 µg) WT or a MUT
GST-I
B-
substrate, where Ser32 and
Ser36 were substituted by Thr (4 µg; S32T and
S36T; Refs. 45, 46, 47, 48, 49
). These substrates were enzymatically
phosphorylated by activated IKK with
[
-32P]ATP (New England Nuclear, Boston, MA).
IKK activity was quantitated by PhosphorImager analysis (Molecular
Dynamics) and normalized to the IKK activity of untreated cells. Data
are expressed as the fold induction. Data are representative of three
independent experiments.
 |
ELISA in Situ Cell Death Assay and Microscopy
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Rat1:iRas cells were pretreated with or without Res (30
µM) for 60 min before the addition of IPTG (5
mM) and incubated for 48 h. After incubation, cell
death was detected by the ELISA in situ apoptosis assay
(Boehringer Mannheim), and the percentage of apoptosis was quantitated.
Staurosporine was used as the positive control for the induction of
apoptosis. This assay measures DNA strand breaks and is therefore
diagnostic for cells undergoing apoptosis. In a parallel experiment,
Rat1:iRas cells were either pretreated with or without Res (30
µM) for 60 min before the addition of IPTG (5
mM) and incubated for 48 h. Nonadherent,
dying cells are shown as refractive by phase-contrast microscopy.
 |
RESULTS
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Res Inhibits NF-
B DNA Binding Activity.
For our initial studies, we investigated whether Res inhibited NF-
B
DNA binding activity. We used two macrophage/monocytic cell lines,
THP-1 and U937, both of which are well characterized with regard to
activation of NF-
B. THP-1 cells were either left untreated or
exposed to TNF, a potent inducer of NF-
B in many cell types. As
expected, TNF strongly induced activation of NF-
B DNA binding
activity, as determined by EMSA (Fig. 1
, Lane 2). In a dose-response study, we found that the
effective dose of Res for inhibiting activation of NF-
B was 30
µM (data not shown), and this dose was used for
all experiments. Pretreatment with Res had little effect on the basal
binding activity of NF-
B (data not shown) but strongly blocked the
ability of TNF to activate NF-
B DNA binding (Fig. 1
, Lane
3). Similarly, the induction of NF-
B in THP-1 cells by LPS, a
potent bacterial endotoxin, was also effectively blocked by Res (Fig. 1
, Lane 5). Virtually identical data were obtained with U937
cells (data not shown), indicating that the ability of Res to block
NF-
B activation is not cell-type specific. Consistent with these
results, it has been shown recently that Res can inhibit NF-
B
activation in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells (17)
. In the same
extracts, DNA binding of the constitutive transcription factor Oct-1
and the CAAT/enhancer binding protein transcription factor were
unaffected by the presence of Res (data not shown), demonstrating that
Res does not negatively affect transcription factors in a general
manner.

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Fig. 1. Res-mediated repression of TNF- and LPS-induced NF- B
activation. THP-1 cells were pretreated with Res (30 µM)
and stimulated with either TNF (10 ng/ml; 15 min) or LPS (1 µg/ml;
4 h). NEs were analyzed by EMSA as described. Data are a
photograph of an autoradiograph and are representative of three
independent experiments.
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Res Inhibits NF-
B-dependent Gene Transcription.
Consistent with the DNA binding data, Res strongly blocked the
induction of a NF-
B-dependent luciferase reporter (3X
B-luc) in
response to TNF stimulation of THP-1 cells (Fig. 2A)
, as did expression of a modified form of the NF-
B
inhibitor I
B
(SR-I
B
). SR-I
B
, which cannot be
phosphorylated or degraded (45
, 50, 51, 52, 53)
, binds to NF-
B
and blocks the nuclear translocation and subsequent transactivation of
NF-
B-responsive transcription (42)
. Relative
specificity for NF-
B inhibition was shown in an experiment where Res
blocked the induction of the NF-
B-regulated HIV-LTR-CAT reporter in
response to TNF stimulation (Fig. 2B)
. However, Res did not
strongly block a site-directed MUT of the HIV-LTR-CAT reporter in which
the two NF-
B binding sites were mutated (Fig. 2B)
. To
extend the transient transfection reporter data, we determined whether
endogenous gene expression could be repressed by Res. mRNA levels for
two NF-
B-regulated genes, I
B
and MCP-1, were examined by
RT-PCR analysis after TNF stimulation in the presence or absence of
Res. Although Res was capable of partially inhibiting TNF-induced mRNA
levels for I
B
(data not shown), it more strongly repressed the
induction of the MCP-1 mRNA (Fig. 2C)
. Because Res does not
completely block the nuclear translocation of NF-
B under our
experimental conditions, these results may indicate a more stringent
requirement for elevated levels of NF-
B for MCP-1 gene expression as
compared with I
B
gene expression. The effects of Res on NF-
B
DNA binding activity (Fig. 1)
paralleled those observed in the
NF-
B-dependent gene expression studies (Fig. 2, AC
).
More importantly, and consistent with a role for Res in inhibition of
atherogenesis, MCP-1 was recently shown to be required for
atherogenesis in the ApoE knockout animal model (44)
.
These results indicate that Res inhibits NF-
B-dependent gene
expression through the inhibition of induction of NF-
B DNA binding
activity.
Inhibition of TNF-induced IKK Activity.
The majority of inducers of NF-
B stimulate a signal transduction
pathway that leads to the activation of the IKK complex
(45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
that phosphorylates I
B
on
Ser32 and Ser36.
Phosphorylated I
B
is then targeted for ubiquitination and
subsequent degradation by the 26S proteasome, liberating NF-
B and
allowing nuclear translocation (28, 29, 30, 31)
. To determine the
level at which Res blocks NF-
B activity, we analyzed the relative
levels of I
B
after exposure of cells to TNF. CEs were prepared
from the THP-1 cells used previously for EMSA. As expected, TNF
stimulation led to a strong I
B
degradative response in THP-1
cells after 15 min (Fig. 3A
, Lane 3), followed by a reappearance of I
B
at 30 min
(Fig. 3A
, Lane 4). Consistent with the ability to block
NF-
B activation (Fig. 1)
, Res inhibited I
B
degradation in
response to TNF (Fig. 3A
, Lanes 68). Additionally, Res
blocked TNF-induced phosphorylation of I
B
(data not shown) as
demonstrated with the use of a phosphospecific antibody directed to
Ser32, suggesting that Res inhibits an upstream
signaling component in the TNF signaling pathway. We therefore analyzed
levels of IKK activity after TNF treatment of THP-1 cells in the
absence or presence of Res. Whole cell extracts were prepared, and IKK
was immunoprecipitated with a specific antibody to the IKK-ß subunit
(46)
. IKK activity was measured using a
GST-I
B
154(154) WT or a MUT GST-I
B
substrate, in which
Ser32 and Ser36 were
substituted by threonine (S32T and S36T; Refs. 45, 46, 47, 48, 49
).
Res was found to be a potent inhibitor of inducible IKK activity in
response to TNF exposure (Fig. 3B)
. Additional data show
that Res is apparently not an intrinsic IKK inhibitor because Res does
not block IKK activity when added directly to the in vitro
kinase reaction (data not shown). Moreover, it is unlikely that the
mechanism of action of Res relative to its ability to inhibit NF-
B
acts through its antioxidant property because others
(54)
have shown that TNF-induced IKK activity was not
affected by pretreatment with the potent antioxidant
N-acetyl-L-cysteine. Additionally, it
is unlikely that the mechanism of action of Res to block NF-
B
acts through its estrogenic properties because treatment of
THP-1 cells with 17-ß-estradiol at concentrations as high as
10-5
M did not lead to inhibition of NF-
B (data not
shown). Thus, our results suggest that the major mechanism whereby Res
blocks NF-
B activity acts through the inhibition of induction
of IKK activity.
Enhanced Apoptosis by Inhibition of Ras-mediated NF-
B
Activation.
Res has been shown to inhibit mammary gland oncogenesis in response to
carcinogen exposure (1)
, and it has been shown to block
the growth of certain cancer cells in vitro (13
, 16
, 17)
. Recently, the importance of NF-
B in several oncogenic
settings has been described (23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
. One model used an
IPTG-inducible oncogenic H-RasV12 allele stably integrated in the Rat-1
cell line (23)
. Inhibition of NF-
B after IPTG-induction
of H-RasV12 led to apoptosis, whereas activation of H-RasV12 when
NF-
B was active led to a transformed phenotype (23)
.
Thus, it is postulated that NF-
B activation suppresses
transformation-associated apoptosis. Therefore, we determined whether
Res could induce apoptosis in the Rat-1 cell line in the absence or
presence of H-RasV12. Res pretreatment led to inhibition of
IPTG-induced Ras activation of NF-
B (Fig. 4A)
, suggesting that IKK is involved in the induction of
NF-
B in response to induced expression of oncogenic Ras.
Additionally, Res strongly induced apoptosis, as determined by both
cell death ELISA (Fig. 4B)
and morphological analysis (Fig. 4C
, IPTG), in Rat-1 cells expressing
H-RasV12 (Fig. 4C
, I and I+Res) but
only weakly induced apoptosis in Rat-1 cells that were not treated with
IPTG (Fig. 4C
, U and Res). It should be noted
that the modest apoptotic response in uninduced Rat-1 cells is likely
due to leaky expression of H-RasV12. Furthermore, significant cell
death was also observed in TNF-stimulated THP-1 cells after Res
pretreatment (data not shown). Interestingly, Res did not elicit an
effective apoptotic response in established Ras-transformed NIH-3T3
cells (data not shown). Thus, our data strongly indicate that Res is
more effective as a cancer chemopreventive agent by inhibiting NF-
B
activation during the initiation phase of oncogenesis. In established
NIH-3T3 cells stably expressing oncogenic Ras, nuclear NF-
B levels
are not increased by Ras expression (43
, 55) . In this
situation, Ras appears to require NF-
B activity but functions to
maintain NF-
B activity through the stimulation of the transcription
function of the basally expressed nuclear p65 subunit expression
(43
, 55)
. These results are consistent with the idea that
the role of IKK in Ras transformation may be an early, transient event
allowing an initial accumulation of NF-
B through IKK activation to
protect against apoptosis.
 |
DISCUSSION
|
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Extensive data are now accumulating that dietary constituents can
strongly influence the potential for disease outcome
(56, 57, 58, 59)
. In epidemiological studies, Red wine consumption
was shown to have numerous protective effects, and Res has been shown
to be responsible for those beneficial effects (60
, 61)
.
In particular, a phenomenon defined as the "French paradox" has
emerged (3
, 4)
, which is the association of reduced
mortality from coronary heart disease and breast cancer (4
, 5)
. Although it is well established that naturally occurring
compounds function as chemopreventive agents (1
, 62
, 63)
,
the physiological mechanisms of these dietary constituents as
extracellular signals involved in transcription activation are only
presently emerging.
Our data indicate that Res is a potent inhibitor of NF-
B nuclear
translocation and I
B
degradation. Furthermore, Res effects are
mediated through the inhibition of IKK, the key regulatory complex
required for NF-
B activation of gene transcription. The molecular
target of Res action is presently unknown because Res does not appear
to directly block IKK activity. Presumably, Res inhibits an upstream
signaling component that leads to the activation of IKK, and we are
presently examining whether Res inhibits NF-
B-inducing kinase or
MEKK1, upstream activators of the IKK complex (46
, 64, 65, 66, 67)
. Because evidence has been presented that Res can block
AP-1 activity (18)
, which is consistent with our
observations (data not shown), one possibility is that MEKK1 is the
target of Res action because MEKK1 can activate both the AP-1 and
NF-
B pathways (46
, 64, 65, 66, 67)
. This hypothesis, if proven,
could explain the dual inhibition of NF-
B and of AP-1
transcriptional responses.
NF-
B is strongly associated with inflammatory diseases and
oncogenesis (28, 29, 30, 31)
, and the activation of NF-
B target
genes, including proinflammatory cytokines, has been implicated in
promoting the transformation and survival of tumor cells (23
, 42
, 68, 69, 70)
. However, NF-
B activation has been shown to be
blocked by anti-inflammatory compounds such as aspirin (71
, 72)
and glucocorticoids (73, 74, 75, 76)
. Therefore, our
results demonstrate that a potent chemopreventive compound also targets
NF-
B activation to block both inflammation and cancer initiation. In
this case, Res blocks the signaling pathway leading to NF-
B
activation through its ability to block IKK activation. Res would then
block the expression of NF-
B-dependent genes such as MCP-1 and other
genes that would normally promote inflammation, protect against
apoptosis, and potentiate cell growth. Thus, our results provide a
molecular rationale to explain the broad chemopreventive properties of
Res.
 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
|
|---|
We thank the members of the Baldwin laboratory for helpful
discussion; Drs. M. Mayo, S. Westerheide, J. Webster-Cyriaque, and
F. L. McNary for careful reading of the manuscript; Drs. J.
Norris, M. Mayo, B. Ashburner, and C. Jobin for providing the NIH-3T3
and Rat1:iRas cells, SR-I
B-
, Gal-4-p65, and HIV-LTR-CAT plasmids,
and PCR primers; Dr. Frank Mercurio (Signal Pharmaceuticals, Inc., San
Diego, CA) for generously providing the GST-
WT and MUT plasmids and
IKK-specific antibody; and Dr. R. Bagnell and V. Madden for microscopy
services and assistance.
 |
FOOTNOTES
|
|---|
The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
1 Supported in part by National Cancer Institute
Grants CA72771 and CA75080 (to A. S. B.), North Carolina
Affiliate-American Heart Association Fellowship 9894835U (to M. H-M.), and National Cancer Institute-National Research
Service Award 1F32CA77908-01 (to M. H-M). 
2 To whom requests for reprints should be
addressed, at Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, CB# 7295,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7295. Phone: (919)
966-3652; Fax: (919) 9660444; E-mail: jhall{at}med.unc.edu 
3 The abbreviations used are: Res,
trans-resveratrol; NF-
B, nuclear factor
B; IKK,
I
B kinase; MCP-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; TNF, tumor
necrosis factor; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; LTR, long terminal repeat;
CAT, chloramphenicol aminotransferase; GST, glutathione
S-transferase; WT, wild-type; MUT, mutant; IPTG,
isopropyl-ß-D-thiogalactopyranoside; MEKK1,
mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase
kinase 1; AP-1, activator protein 1; CE, cytoplasmic extract; NE,
nuclear extract; SR-I
B
, NF-
B I
B
inhibitor; I
B
,
inhibitor
B
; EMSA, electrophoretic mobility shift assay; RT-PCR,
reverse transcription-PCR. 
Received 11/17/99.
Accepted 5/ 2/00.
 |
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