Tetrandrine:A Potent Abrogator of G_2 Checkpoint Function in Tumor Cells and Its Mechanism

Objective To assess the ability of tetrandrine （Tet） to enhance the sensitivity to irradiation and its mechanism in cell lines of human breast cancer p53-mutant MCF-7/ADR, p53-wild-type MCF-7 and human colon carcinoma p53-mutant HT-29 as well as in C26 colorectal carcinoma-bearing BALB/c mice. Methods MCF-7/ADR, HT-29 and MCF-7 cells were exposed to irradiation in the absence or presence of tetrandrine. The effect of Tet on the cytotoxicity of X-irradiation in these three cells was determined and the effect of tetrandrine on cell cycle arrest induced by irradiation in its absence or presence was studied by flow cytometry. Moreover, mitotic index measurement determined mitosis of cells to enter mitosis. Western blotting was employed to detect cyclin B1 and Cdc2 proteins in extracts from irradiated or non-irradiated cells of MCF-7/ADR, HT-29 and MCF-7 treated with tetrandrine at various concentrations. Tumor growth delay assay was conducted to determine the radio-sensitization of tetrandrine in vivo. Results Clonogenic assay showed that tetrandrine markedly enhanced the lethal effect of X-rays on p53-mutant MCF-7/ADR and HT-29 cells and the sensitization enhancement ratio （SER） of tetrandrine was 1.51 and 1.63, but its SER was only 1.1 in p53-wt MCF-7 cells. Irradiated p53-mutant MCF-7/ADR and HT-29 cells were only arrested in G2/M phase while MCF-7 cells were arrested in G1 and G2/M phases. Radiation-induced G2 phase arrests were abrogated by tetrandrine in a concentration-dependent manner in MCF-7/ADR and HT-29 cells, whereas redistribution within MCF-7 cell cycle changed slightly. The proportion of cells in M phase increased from 1.3% to 14.7% in MCF-7/ADR cells, and from 1.5% to 13.2% in HT-29 cells, but 2.4% to 7.1% in MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, the levels of cyclin B 1 and Cdc2 expression decreased after X-irradiation in MCF-7/ADR and HT-29 cells, and the mitotic index was also lower. Tet could reverse the decrease and induce the irradiated cells to enter mitosis （M phase）. Endosomatic experiment showed that tetrandrine caused tumor growth delay in irradiated mice. Conclusion Tetrandrine boosts the cell killing activity of irradiation both in vitro and in vivo. Tetrandrine is a potent abrogator for G2 checkpoint control and can sensitize the cells to radiation.

MiR-142-3p enhances chemosensitivity of breast cancer cells and inhibits autophagy by targeting HMGB1

MiR-142-3p has been reported to act as a tumor suppressor in breast cancer.However,the regulatory effect of miR-142-3p on drug resistance of breast cancer cells and its underlying mechanism remain unknown.Here,we found that miR-142-3p was significantly downregulated in the doxorubicin(DOX)-resistant MCF-7 cell line(MCF-7/DOX).MiR-142-3p overexpression increased DOX sensitivity and enhanced DOXinduced apoptosis in breast cancer cells.High-mobility group box 1(HMGB1)is a direct functional target of miR-142-3p in breast cancer cells and miR-142-3p negatively regulated HMGB1 expression.Moreover,overexpres sion of HMGB1 dramatically reversed the promotion of apoptosis and inhibition of autophagy mediated by miR-142-3p up-regulation.In conclusion,miR-142-3p overexpression may inhibit autophagy and promote the drug sensitivity of breast cancer cells to DOX by targeting HMGB 1.The miR-142-3 p/HMGB1 axis might be a novel target to regulate the drug resistance of breast cancer patients.