Targeting Glutamatergic Signaling and the PI3 Kinase Pathway to Halt Melanoma Progression.

ABSTRACT: Our group has previously reported that the majority of human melanomas (>60%) express the metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (GRM1) and that the glutamate release inhibitor riluzole, a drug currently used to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, can induce apoptosis in GRM1-expressing melanoma cells. Our group previously reported that in vitro riluzole treatment reduces cell growth in three-dimensional (3D) soft agar colony assays by 80% in cells with wildtype phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway activation. However, melanoma cell lines harboring constitutive activating mutations of the PI3K pathway (PTEN and NRAS mutations) showed only a 35% to 40% decrease in colony formation in soft agar in the presence of riluzole. In this study, we have continued our preclinical studies of riluzole

SUBMITTER: Rosenberg SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4350641 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature