BH3 activation blocks Hdmx suppression of apoptosis and cooperates with Nutlin to induce cell death.

ABSTRACT: The Hdmx protein restricts p53 activity in vivo and is overexpressed in a significant fraction of human tumors that retain the wild type p53 allele. An understanding of how Hdmx limits p53 activation and blocks apoptosis could therefore lead to development of novel therapeutic agents. We previously showed that Hdmx modulates tumor cell sensitivity to Nutlin-3a, a potent antagonist of the p53/Hdm2 interaction. In this report, we demonstrate that this also applies to MI-219, another Hdm2 antagonist. Thus, the inability to disrupt Hdmx/p53 complexes is a potential barrier to the efficacy of these compounds as single agents. We show that sensitivity to apoptosis in cells with high Hdmx levels is restored by combined treatment with Nutlin and a Bcl-2 family member antagonist to activate Bax. Th

SUBMITTER: Wade M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2625302 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature