Anti-neoplastic agent thymoquinone induces degradation of α and β tubulin proteins in human cancer cells without affecting their level in normal human fibroblasts.

Date publication

octobre 2012

Journal

Investigational new drugs

Auteurs

Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Pr SCHINI-KERTH Valérie , Dr AUGER Cyril

Tous les auteurs :
Alhosin M, Ibrahim A, Boukhari A, Sharif T, Gies JP, Auger C, Schini-Kerth VB

Lien Pubmed

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21881916

Résumé

The microtubule-targeting agents derived from natural products, such as vinca-alkaloids and taxanes are an important family of efficient anti-cancer drugs with therapeutic benefits in both haematological and solid tumors. These drugs interfere with the assembly of microtubules of α/β tubulin heterodimers without altering their expression level. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of thymoquinone (TQ), a natural product present in black cumin seed oil known to exhibit putative anti-cancer activities, on α/β tubulin expression in human astrocytoma cells (cell line U87, solid tumor model) and in Jurkat cells (T lymphoblastic leukaemia cells). TQ induced a concentration- and time-dependent degradation of α/β tubulin in both cancer cell types. This degradation was associated with the up-regulation of the tumor suppressor p73 with subsequent induction of apoptosis. Interestingly, TQ had no effect on α/β tubulin protein expression in normal human fibroblast cells, which were used as a non-cancerous cell model. These data indicate that TQ exerts a selective effect towards α/β tubulin in cancer cells. In conclusion, the present findings indicate that TQ is a novel anti-microtubule drug which targets the level of α/β tubulin proteins in cancer cells. Furthermore, they highlight the interest of developing anti-cancer therapies that target directly tubulin rather than microtubules dynamics.

Mots clés

Antineoplastic Agents, pharmacology, Apoptosis, drug effects, Astrocytoma, metabolism, Benzoquinones, pharmacology, Cell Line, Tumor, DNA-Binding Proteins, antagonists & inhibitors, Fibroblasts, drug effects, Humans, Jurkat Cells, Nuclear Proteins, antagonists & inhibitors, Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma, metabolism, Proteolysis, drug effects, Tubulin, metabolism, Tumor Protein p73, Tumor Suppressor Proteins, antagonists & inhibitors, Up-Regulation, drug effects

Référence

Invest New Drugs. 2012 Oct;30(5):1813-9