Impact of PLK-1 silencing on endothelial cells and cancer cells of diverse histological origin

Curr Gene Ther. 2013 Jun 1;13(3):189-201. doi: 10.2174/1566523211313030004.

Abstract

The main goal of this work was to assess in vitro the potential of Polo-like kinase gene (PLK-1) as a molecular target within the tumor microenvironment, namely in both cancer cells of tumors of different histological origin and endothelial cells from angiogenic blood vessels, upon silencing with anti-PLK-1 siRNA. In addition, the effect of Plk-1 downregulation on the cancer cells chemosensitization to paclitaxel was further assessed. Downregulation of Plk-1 reduced cancer cells viability from 40 to 85% and up to 59% in endothelial cells. Regarding the latter, it compromised their ability to form new tube-like structures, decreasing the formation of network projections up to 46%. This suggested for the first time, PLK-1 as a valuable angiogenic molecular target. In combination with paclitaxel, anti-PLK-1 siRNA chemosensitized non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and prostate carcinoma cell lines, leading up to a 2-fold increase in the drug cytotoxic effect. Moreover, the sequential incubation of anti-PLK-1 siRNA and paclitaxel led to a decrease in the IC50 of the latter up to 2.7- and 4.1-fold, in A-549 and PC-3 cells, respectively. The combination of anti-PLK-1 siRNA with paclitaxel led to cell cycle arrest, increasing the number of cells at the G2/M and S phases to 1.5 and 1.3-fold in PC-3 cells, and to 1.6 and 1.4-fold in A-549 cells, respectively. Overall, it has been demonstrated that PLK-1 silencing with siRNA can impact multiple cellular players of tumor aggressiveness, thus enabling the opportunity to interfere with different hallmarks of cancer, in tumors with diverse histological origin.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / pharmacology
  • Base Sequence
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / genetics
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / pathology
  • Cell Cycle Checkpoints / drug effects
  • Cell Cycle Checkpoints / genetics
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics*
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Survival / genetics
  • Down-Regulation
  • Endothelial Cells / enzymology*
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / genetics
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Male
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Molecular Targeted Therapy
  • Paclitaxel / pharmacology
  • Polo-Like Kinase 1
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / genetics
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / genetics*
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / genetics*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / metabolism
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Reference Values
  • S Phase / drug effects
  • S Phase / genetics
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured / drug effects
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured / enzymology*
  • Tumor Microenvironment

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Paclitaxel