Blockage of the mevalonate pathway overcomes the apoptotic resistance to MEK inhibitors with suppressing the activation of Akt in cancer cells.

ABSTRACT: With increasing clinical demands for MEK inhibitors in cancer treatment, overcoming the resistance to MEK inhibitors is an urgent problem to be solved. Numerous reports have shown that MEK inhibition results in the activation of PI3K-Akt signaling, which may confer apoptotic resistance to MEK inhibitors. We here demonstrate that the blockade of the mevalonate pathway using the antilipidemic drug statins represses Akt activation following MEK inhibition and induces significant apoptosis when co-treated with CH5126766 or trametinib. These events were clearly negated by the addition of mevalonate or geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate, indicating that the protein geranylgeranylation is implicated in the apoptotic resistance to MEK inhibitors. Furthermore, mechanistically, the combined treatment of C

SUBMITTER: Iizuka-Ohashi M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5929411 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature