Journal
IUBMB LIFE
Volume 73, Issue 7, Pages 968-977Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/iub.2503
Keywords
apoptosis; autophagy; ERK1; 2; lovastatin; p21; p53; PEL; STAT3; statins
Categories
Funding
- Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro [23040]
- Istituto Pasteur ItaliaFondazione Cenci Bolognetti [49]
- Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Universita e della Ricerca [PRIN 2017 (2017K55HLC)]
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Lovastatin is a potential therapeutic alternative against PEL cells, especially when used in combination with p21 inhibitors. It exerts its cytotoxic effects on PEL cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner by regulating pathways involving STAT3, ERK1/2, and p53.
Statins are inhibitors of the mevalonate pathway that besides being cholesterol lowering agents, display anti-cancer properties. This is because cholesterol is an essential component of cell membranes but also because the mevalonate pathway controls protein farnesylation and geranylation, processes essential for the activity of GTPase family proteins. In this study, we found that Lovastatin exerted a dose- and time-dependent cytotoxic effect against PEL cells, an aggressive B cell lymphoma strictly associated with the gammaherpesvirus KSHV and characterized by a poor response to conventional chemotherapies. At molecular level, Lovastatin by dephosphorylating STAT3, induced ERK1/2 activation that inhibited autophagy and phosphorylated p53ser15 that in turn maintained ERK1/2 activated and up-regulated p21. However, p21 played a pro-survival role in this setting, as its inhibition by UC2288 further reduced cell survival in PEL cells undergoing Lovastatin treatment. In conclusion, this study suggests that Lovastatin may represent a valid therapeutic alternative against PEL cells, especially if used in combination with p21 inhibitors.
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