Ras inhibition amplifies cisplatin sensitivity of human glioblastoma.

Abstract	Resistance to chemotherapy is a common feature of malignant gliomas. This resistance is mediated by receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)-regulated signaling. p21-Ras protein is pivotal in the propagation of the signal originated from many RTKs. Our aim was to investigate whether inhibition of Ras pathway affects the response to cisplatin in malignant gliomas. We found an enhanced sensitivity to cisplatin of two glioblastoma cell lines expressing dominant negative Ras. Moreover, DN-Ras expressing cells, implanted in nude mice, resulted in being extremely sensitive to cisplatin. The growth of all the tumors was significantly inhibited by combining DN-Ras adenovirus infection with cisplatin treatment. The majority of glioma cells expressing DN-Ras underwent apoptosis in response to cisplatin. In vivo, DN-Ras alone did not influence the growth of tumors, suggesting that the effects of Ras-inhibition observed in vitro could not be extrapolated in vivo. The survival signal pathway transduced by Ras was essentially mediated by inhibition of caspase-9 cleavage via PI3K/Akt.
Authors	Samantha Messina, Carlo Leonetti, Giorgia De Gregorio, Valentina Affatigato, Giuseppe Ragona, Luigi Frati, Gabriella Zupi, Angela Santoni, Antonio Porcellini
Journal	Biochemical and biophysical research communications (Biochem Biophys Res Commun) Vol. 320 Issue 2 Pg. 493-500 (Jul 23 2004) ISSN: 0006-291X [Print] United States
PMID	15219856 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
Chemical References	Antineoplastic Agents Proto-Oncogene Proteins AKT1 protein, human Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ras Proteins Cisplatin
Topics	Adenoviridae (genetics) Animals Antineoplastic Agents (pharmacology) Brain Neoplasms (pathology) Cell Line, Tumor Cisplatin (pharmacology) Enzyme Activation Glioblastoma (pathology) Humans Male Mice Mice, Nude Neoplasm Transplantation Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases (metabolism) Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases (metabolism) Proto-Oncogene Proteins (metabolism) Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ras Proteins (antagonists & inhibitors, genetics)

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