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Picropodophyllin induces downregulation of the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor: potential mechanistic involvement of Mdm2 and β-arrestin1

Oncogene volume 27, pages 1629–1638 (2008)Cite this article

A Correction to this article was published on 07 December 2022

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Abstract

The insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) is crucial for growth and survival of malignant cells. Experience in targeting IGF-1R in cancer models has shown that strategies promoting downregulation of the receptor are much more efficient in inducing apoptosis than those inhibiting the IGF-1R activity. Recently, we found that the cyclolignan picropodophyllin (PPP) inhibits phosphorylation of IGF-1R and activation of downstream signaling without interfering with the highly homologous insulin receptor (IR). Furthermore, PPP treatment caused strong regression of tumor grafts and prolonged survival of animals with systemic tumor disease. Here we demonstrate that PPP also downregulates the IGF-1R, whereas the IR and several other receptors were not affected. PPP-induced IGF-1R downregulation required expression of the MDM2 E3 ligase, which recently was found to ubiquitinate and cause degradation of the IGF-1R. In addition knockdown of β-arrestin1, the adaptor molecule known to bridges MDM2 and IGF-1R, prevented downregulation of the receptor and significantly decreased PPP-induced cell death. All together these data suggest that PPP downregulates IGF-1R by interfering with the action of β-arrestin1/MDM2 as well as the achieved receptor downregulation contributes to the apoptotic effect of PPP.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from the Swedish Cancer Society, the Cancer Society in Stockholm, the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Children Cancer Society, Ingabritt and Arne Lundberg's research foundation, the King Gustaf V's research foundation, Alex and Eva Wallström's foundation and the Karolinska Institute.

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  1. R Vasilcanu and D Vasilcanu: These two authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

    R Vasilcanu, D Vasilcanu, L Rosengren, N Natalishvili, B Sehat, S Yin, A Girnita, L Girnita & O Larsson

  2. Department of Clinical Chemistry, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

    M Axelson

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  1. R Vasilcanu
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Correspondence to O Larsson.

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Vasilcanu, R., Vasilcanu, D., Rosengren, L. et al. Picropodophyllin induces downregulation of the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor: potential mechanistic involvement of Mdm2 and β-arrestin1. Oncogene 27, 1629–1638 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1210797

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