p28-Mediated Activation of p53 in G2-M Phase of the Cell Cycle Enhances the Efficacy of DNA Damaging and Antimitotic Chemotherapy

p28 is an anionic cell-penetrating peptide of 28 amino acids that activates wild-type and mutated p53, leading subsequently to selective inhibition of CDK2 and cyclin A expression and G(2)-M cell-cycle arrest. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxic effects of p28 treatment alone and in combination with DNA-damaging and antimitotic agents on human cancer cells. p28 enhanced the cytotoxic activity of lower concentrations (IC20-50) of DNA-damaging drugs (doxorubicin, dacarbazine, temozolamide) or antimitotic drugs (paclitaxel and docetaxel) in a variety of cancer cells expressing wild-type or mutated p53. Mechanistic investigations revealed that p28 induced a post-translational increase in the expression of wild-type or mutant p53 and p21, resulting in cell-cycle inhibition at the G(2)-Mphase. The enhanced activity of these anticancer agents in combination with p28 was facilitated through the p53/p21/CDK2 pathway. Taken together, these results highlight a new approach to maximize the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents while reducing dose-related toxicity. (C) 2016 AACR.