Apoptosis resistance of MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells to ionizing radiation is independent of p53 and cell cycle control but caused by the lack of Caspase-3 and a caffeine-inhibitable event

• Published in: Cancer research (Chicago, Ill.) Vol. 64; no. 19; pp. 7065 - 7072
• Main Authors: ESSMANN, Frank, ENGELS, Ingo H, TOTZKE, Gudrun, SCHULZE-OSTHOFF, Klaus, JÄNICKE, Reiner U
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA American Association for Cancer Research 01.10.2004
• Subjects: Antineoplastic agents; Apoptosis - drug effects; Apoptosis - radiation effects; Biological and medical sciences; Breast Neoplasms - drug therapy; Breast Neoplasms - genetics; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Breast Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Caffeine - pharmacology; Caspase 3; Caspase 9; Caspases - deficiency; Caspases - metabolism; Cell Cycle - drug effects; Cell Cycle - physiology; Cell Cycle - radiation effects; Cell Line, Tumor; Enzyme Activation - drug effects; Enzyme Activation - radiation effects; G2 Phase - drug effects; G2 Phase - radiation effects; Humans; Medical sciences; Mitochondria - drug effects; Mitochondria - radiation effects; Mitosis - drug effects; Mitosis - radiation effects; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Radiation Tolerance - drug effects; Transcriptional Activation - drug effects; Transcriptional Activation - radiation effects; Transfection; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 - genetics; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 - physiology; Tumors; Enzyme; Cysteine endopeptidases; Malignant tumor; Resistance; Mammary gland diseases; Peptidases; Breast carcinoma; Ionizing radiation; Regulation(control); TP53 Gene; Cell death; Cell cycle; Hydrolases; Xanthine derivatives; Apoptosis; Caffeine; Tumor suppressor gene

We have shown previously that ionizing radiation (IR) induces a persistent G(2)-M arrest but not cell death in MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells that harbor functional p53 but lack caspase-3. In the present study, we investigated the mechanisms of apoptosis resistance and the roles of p53, caspase-3, and...