Differential response of normal and malignant urothelial cells to CHK1 and ATM inhibitors.

Abstract

While DNA damage response pathways are well characterized in cancer cells, much less is known about their status in normal cells. These pathways protect tumour cells from DNA damage and replication stress and consequently present potential therapeutic targets. Here we characterize the response of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT)-immortalized normal human urothelial (NHU) and bladder cancer cell lines to agents that disrupt the DNA damage response. Effects of replication and DNA damage response inhibitors on cell cycle progression, checkpoint induction and apoptosis were analysed in hTERT-NHU and bladder cancer cell lines. The primary signalling cascade responding to replication stress in malignant cells (ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) and Rad3-related-checkpoint kinase 1 (ATR-CHK1)) is not activated in hTERT-NHU cells after treatment with a replication inhibitor and these cells do not depend upon CHK1 for protection from apoptosis during replication stress. Instead, ATM signalling is rapidly activated under these conditions. Intriguingly, an ATM inhibitor suppressed S-phase checkpoint activation after exposure to replication inhibitors and stopped entry of cells into S-phase indicating G1 checkpoint activation. Consistent with this, hTERT-NHU cells treated with the ATM inhibitor showed increased levels of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p19(INK4D), reduced levels of cyclin D1 and CDK4, and reduced phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein. In contrast, a bladder cancer cell line cotreated with ATM and replication inhibitors progressed more slowly through S phase and showed a marked increase in apoptosis. Taken together, our findings suggest that ATM and CHK1 signalling cascades have different roles in tumour and normal epithelial cells, confirming these as promising therapeutic targets.

• Authors: W-T Wang, J W F Catto, M Meuth
• Journal: Oncogene (Oncogene) Vol. 34 Issue 22 Pg. 2887-96 (May 28 2015) ISSN: 1476-5594 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 25043304 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• 2-morpholin-4-yl-6-thianthren-1-yl-pyran-4-one
• Carbazoles
• Morpholines
• Protein Kinase Inhibitors
• Pyrones
• Go 6976
• Protein Kinases
• ATM protein, human
• Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins
• CHEK1 protein, human
• Checkpoint Kinase 1
• Rad51 Recombinase
• Thymidine

Topics

• Apoptosis (drug effects, genetics)
• Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins (antagonists & inhibitors, physiology)
• Carbazoles (pharmacology)
• Cells, Cultured
• Checkpoint Kinase 1
• DNA Replication (drug effects)
• G1 Phase (drug effects, genetics)
• HCT116 Cells
• Humans
• Morpholines (pharmacology)
• Protein Kinase Inhibitors (pharmacology)
• Protein Kinases (metabolism, physiology)
• Pyrones (pharmacology)
• Rad51 Recombinase (genetics, metabolism)
• S Phase (drug effects, genetics)
• Thymidine (pharmacology)
• Urologic Neoplasms (pathology)
• Urothelium (cytology, drug effects, pathology, physiology)