Array-based genome-wide RNAi screening to identify shRNAs that enhance p53-related apoptosis in human cancer cells

Oncotarget. 2014 Sep 15;5(17):7540-8. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.2272.

Abstract

p53 transduction is a potentially effective cancer therapy but does not result in a good therapeutic response in all human cancers due to resistance to apoptosis. To discover factors that overcome resistance to p53-induced apoptosis, we attempted to identify RNAi sequences that enhance p53-induced apoptosis. We screened a genome-wide lentiviral shRNA library in liver cancer Huh-7 and pancreatic cancer Panc-1 cells, both of which resist p53-induced apoptosis. After the infection of adenovirus expressing p53 or LacZ as a control, shRNA-treated populations were analyzed by microarray. We identified shRNAs that were significantly decreased in p53-infected cells compared with control cells. Among these shRNAs, shRNA-58335 was markedly decreased in both cancer cell lines tested. shRNA-58335 enhanced p53-related apoptosis in vitro and augmented the inhibitory effect of adenoviral p53 transduction on tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, the enhanced apoptotic response by shRNA-58335 was also confirmed by treatment with PRIMA-1, which reactivates mutant p53, instead of adenoviral p53 transduction. We found that shRNA-58335 evokes the apoptotic response following p53 transduction or functional restoration of p53 with a small molecule drug in cancer cells resistant to p53-induced apoptosis. The combination of p53 restoration and RNAi-based drugs is expected to be a promising novel cancer therapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / genetics*
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Comparative Genomic Hybridization
  • Female
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / genetics*
  • Heterografts
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Nude
  • Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Neoplasms / pathology
  • RNA Interference
  • RNA, Small Interfering / genetics*
  • Transduction, Genetic
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / genetics*

Substances

  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53