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Dithiolethione compounds inhibit Akt signaling in human breast and lung cancer cells by increasing PP2A activity

Oncogene volume 28, pages 3837–3846 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The chemopreventative effects of dithiolethione compounds are attributed to their activation of antioxidant response elements (AREs) by reacting with the Nrf2/Keap1 protein complex. In this study, we show antiproliferative effects of the dithiolethione compound ACS-1 in human cancer cell lines (A549 and MDA-MB-231) by increasing the activity of the tumor suppressor protein phoshatase 2A (PP2A). ACS-1 inhibited epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced cellular proliferation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Akt activation, as determined by serine-473 phosphorylation, was inhibited by ACS-1 in cells stimulated with either EGF or fibronectin. Furthermore, ACS-1 inhibited mammalian target of rapamycin signaling and decreased c-myc protein levels. ACS-1 did not proximally alter EGF receptor or integrin signaling, but caused a concentration-dependent increase in PP2A activity. The effect of ACS-1 on Akt activation was not observed in the presence of the PP2A inhibitor okadaic acid. ACS-1 effects on PP2A activity were independent of ARE activation and cAMP formation. In addition to ACS-1, other dithiolethione compounds showed similar effects in reducing Akt activation, suggesting that this class of compounds may have other effects beyond chemoprevention.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank William DeGraff for assistance with cell cycle experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Radiation Biology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    C H Switzer, L A Ridnour, R Y S Cheng & D A Wink

  2. Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche ‘Pietro Pratesi’, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    A Sparatore

  3. Sulfidris, Milan, Italy

    P Del Soldato

  4. National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    T W Moody

  5. Division of Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    M P Vitek

  6. Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    D D Roberts

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  1. C H Switzer
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Correspondence to D A Wink.

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Switzer, C., Ridnour, L., Cheng, R. et al. Dithiolethione compounds inhibit Akt signaling in human breast and lung cancer cells by increasing PP2A activity. Oncogene 28, 3837–3846 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/onc.2009.244

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