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Apoptosis

Mechanisms of apoptosis-induction by rottlerin: therapeutic implications for B-CLL

Leukemia volume 20, pages 514–520 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Constitutively activated signaling pathways contribute to the apoptosis-defect of B-CLL cells. Protein kinase C-δ is a permanently activated kinase and a putative downstream target of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase in B-CLL. Blockade of protein kinase C-δ (PKC-δ) by the highly specific inhibitor rottlerin induces apoptosis in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) cells. By co-culturing bone marrow stromal and CLL cells, we determined that the proapoptotic effect of rottlerin is not abolished in the presence of survival factors, indicating that a targeted therapy against PKC-δ might be a powerful approach for the treatment of CLL patients. The downstream events following rottlerin treatment engage mitochondrial and non-mitochondrial pathways and ultimately activate caspases that execute the apoptotic cell death. Herein we report that the inhibition of PKC-δ decreases the expression of the important antiapoptotic proteins Mcl-1 and XIAP accompanied by a loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential Δψ. In addition, we discovered that ZAP-70-expressing cells are significantly more susceptible to rottlerin-induced cell death than ZAP-70 negative cells. We finally observed that rottlerin can augment cell toxicity induced by standard chemotherapeutic drugs. Conclusively, PKC-δ is a promising new target in the combat against CLL.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a research grant from the Technical university of Munich (KKF 15-00) and a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DE 771.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 3rd Department of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    I Ringshausen, M Oelsner, K Weick, C Bogner, C Peschel & T Decker

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  1. I Ringshausen
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  2. M Oelsner
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  3. K Weick
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  4. C Bogner
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  5. C Peschel
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  6. T Decker
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Correspondence to I Ringshausen.

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Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the Leukemia website (http://www.nature.com/leu/)

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Ringshausen, I., Oelsner, M., Weick, K. et al. Mechanisms of apoptosis-induction by rottlerin: therapeutic implications for B-CLL. Leukemia 20, 514–520 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2404113

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