RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase 1 Modulates the Lethality of CHK1 Inhibitors in Carcinoma Cells JF Molecular Pharmacology JO Mol Pharmacol FD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics SP 909 OP 917 DO 10.1124/mol.110.067199 VO 78 IS 5 A1 Mitchell, Clint A1 Park, Margaret A1 Eulitt, Patrick A1 Yang, Chen A1 Yacoub, Adly A1 Dent, Paul YR 2010 UL http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/78/5/909.abstract AB Prior studies have demonstrated that inhibition of CHK1 can promote the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and phosphorylation of histone H2AX and that inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) can affect growth factor-induced ERK1/2 activation. The present studies were initiated to determine whether CHK1 inhibitors interacted with PARP1 inhibition to facilitate apoptosis. Transient expression of dominant-negative CHK1 raised basal ERK1/2 activity and prevented CHK1 inhibitors from activating ERK1/2. CHK1 inhibitors modestly increased the levels of PARP1 ADP ribosylation and molecular or small-molecule inhibition of PARP1 blocked CHK1 inhibitor-stimulated histone H2AX phosphorylation and activation of ERK1/2. Stimulated histone H2AX phosphorylation was ataxia telangiectasia-mutated protein-dependent. Multiple CHK1 inhibitors interacted in a greater than additive fashion with multiple PARP1 inhibitors to cause transformed cell-killing in short-term viability assays and synergistically killed tumor cells in colony-formation assays. Overexpression of BCL-xL or loss of BAX/BAK function, but not the function of BID, suppressed CHK1 inhibitor + PARP1 inhibitor lethality. Inhibition of BCL-2 family protein function enhanced CHK1 inhibitor + PARP1 inhibitor lethality and restored drug-induced cell-killing in cells overexpressing BCL-xL. Thus, PARP1 plays an important role in regulating the ability of CHK1 inhibitors to activate ERK1/2 and the DNA damage response. An inability of PARP1 to modulate this response results in transformed cell death mediated through the intrinsic apoptosis pathway.