High-dose rapamycin induces apoptosis in human cancer cells by dissociating mTOR complex 1 and suppressing phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 Journal Article


Authors: Yellen, P.; Saqcena, M.; Salloum, D.; Feng, J.; Preda, A.; Xu, L.; Rodrik-Outmezguine, V. ; Foster, D. A.
Article Title: High-dose rapamycin induces apoptosis in human cancer cells by dissociating mTOR complex 1 and suppressing phosphorylation of 4E-BP1
Abstract: mTOR, the mammalian target of rapamycin, has been widely implicated in signals that promote cell cycle progression and survival in cancer cells. Rapamycin, which inhibits mTOR with high specificity, has consequently attracted much attention as an anticancer therapeutic. Rapamycin suppresses phosphorylation of S6 kinase at nanomolar concentrations, however at higher micro-molar doses, rapamycin induces apoptosis in several human cancer cell lines. While much is known about the effect of low dose rapamycin treatment, the mechanistic basis for the apoptotic effects of high-dose rapamycin treatment is not understood. We report here that the apoptotic effects of high-dose rapamycin treatment correlate with suppressing phosphorylation of the mTOR complex 1 substrate, eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) binding protein-1 (4E-BP1). Consistent with this observation, ablation of eIF4E also resulted in apoptorsis in MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cells. We also provide evidence that the differential dose effects of rapamycin are correlated with partial and complete dissociation of Raptor from mTORC1 at low and high doses, respectively. In contrast with MDA-MB-231 cells, MCF-7 breast cancer cells survived rapamycin-induced suppression of 4E-BP1 phosphorylation. We show that survival correlated with a hyper-phosphorylation of Akt at S473 at high rapamycin doses, the suppression of which conferred rapamycin sensitivity. This study reveals that the apoptotic effect of rapamycin requires doses that completely dissociate Raptor from mTORC1 and suppress that phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 and inhibit eIF4E. © 2011 Landes Bioscience.
Keywords: protein kinase b; controlled study; protein phosphorylation; human cell; drug megadose; mammalia; cell survival; low drug dose; apoptosis; breast cancer; eukaryota; mammalian target of rapamycin; initiation factor 4e binding protein 1; akt; cell strain mcf 7; drug sensitivity; rapamycin; mtor; eif4e; 4e-bp1; raptores
Journal Title: Cell Cycle
Volume: 10
Issue: 22
ISSN: 1538-4101
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Inc.  
Date Published: 2011-11-15
Start Page: 3948
End Page: 3956
Language: English
DOI: 10.4161/cc.10.22.18124
PROVIDER: scopus
PUBMED: 22071574
PMCID: PMC3266120
DOI/URL:
Notes: --- - "Export Date: 3 January 2012" - "Source: Scopus"
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