Breast and
ovarian cancers remain a major public health issue, constituting a major cause of female morbidity and mortality worldwide. Even though systemic
chemotherapy remains the main course of action for both types of
cancer, current research studies aim at the discovery of novel therapeutic targets.
Ribonucleases, due to their apparent implication in gene expression regulation, may serve as potential anticancer drugs. Human
RNase κ is an
endoribonuclease belonging in a recently identified family of
proteins. Recent data from expression microarray studies reveal that the
RNase κ gene is found either up- or downregulated in a number of human
cancers, indicating a possible diagnostic and/or prognostic utility.The aim of this study was to investigate modulations in the expression levels of
RNase κ gene, in breast and
ovarian cancer cells, as a response to treatment with different chemotherapeutic agents. BT-20
breast cancer cells and SKOV-3
ovarian cancer cells were treated with the cytotoxic drugs
paclitaxel,
docetaxel,
cisplatin,
carboplatin,
epirubicin and
vinorelbine. Gene expression analysis was performed by the comparative CT method also known as 2(-ΔΔCT) method. The results revealed a distinct increase in the expression levels of
RNase κ
mRNA (up to 9-fold)
after treatment with the
antineoplastic agent paclitaxel in both cell lines, while treatment with the remaining anticancer drugs did not alter drastically the
mRNA levels of
RNase κ. Based on the fact that
paclitaxel exerts its cytotoxic action by inducing apoptosis, the results could be indicative of a potential implication of
RNase κ in apoptosis-related pathways.