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Upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 and p21 confers resistance to apoptosis in human gastric cancer cells

Oncogene volume 23, pages 503–513 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

Both heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and p21WAF1/Cip1 (p21) are involved in the pathogenesis of human cancer and their functions are closely associated with apoptosis. However, how these two molecules regulate apoptosis in human gastric cancer is unknown. In this study, we studied how HO-1 and p21 were regulated in two gastric cancer cell lines, MKN-45 with wild p53 and MKN-28 with mutant p53. The cells were treated with hemin and cadmium to induce HO-1. The result showed that HO-1 protein was significantly induced by hemin and cadmium in both cells tested. Following the HO-1 expression, p21 level was also markedly induced. The cells with increased HO-1 and p21 showed obviously resistantance to apoptotic stimuli. The levels of HO-1 and p21 induced were significantly inhibited by p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) inhibitor (SB203580) and extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitor (PD098059). Parallel to decreased HO-1 and p21 expression, the kinase inhibitors also significantly attenuated the resistance of the cells to apoptosis. The elevated HO-1 and p21 was further found to be associated with increase activity of the nuclear NF-κB and the inhibition of NF-κB led to the block of their induction. The elevated HO-1 and p21 were also demonstrated to be related to increased cellular inhibitor of caspase inbitory protein-2 (c-IAP2) and decreased caspapse-3 activity. It was noted that the above changes observed were not different between MKN-45 and MKN-28 cells, suggesting the functions of HO-1 and p21 were irrespective of the status of p53. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the resistance to apoptosis in gastric cancer cells with elevated HO-1 and p21 is independent of p53 status in a p38 MAPK- and ERK-mediated pathway with elevated c-IAP2 and decreased caspase-3 activity and that this pathway is sensitive to the inhibition of NF-κB.

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Abbreviations

CDK:

cyclin-dependent kinase

c-IAP2:

cellular inhibitor of caspase inbitory protein-2

ERK:

extracellular-regulated kinase

FACS:

fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis

HO:

heme oxygenase

MTT:

3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay

p21:

p21WAF1/Cip1

p38 MAPK:

p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase

PBS:

phosphate-buffered saline

rhTNF-α:

recombinant human TNF-α

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Acknowledgements

We thank Billy CS Leung and Suk Ying Chan for their technical help, David Brenner and Carrie Purbeck for DNA constructs used in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong

    Zhi-Min Liu, George G Chen, Enders KW Ng & SC Sydney Chung

  2. Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong

    Wai-Keung Leung & Joseph JY Sung

  3. The Institute of Gasterointestinal Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China

    Zhi-Min Liu

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  1. Zhi-Min Liu
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Correspondence to George G Chen.

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Liu, ZM., Chen, G., Ng, E. et al. Upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 and p21 confers resistance to apoptosis in human gastric cancer cells. Oncogene 23, 503–513 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1207173

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