Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.1.1.37 (DNA methyltransferase)
 4,983 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Docetaxel is an effective chemotherapy drug to treat breast cancer but the underlying molecular mechanisms of drug resistance are not fully understood. DNA methylation is an epigenetic event, involved in the control of gene expression, which is known to play an important role in cancer and chemotherapy drug resistance. To investigate the role of DNA methylation in docetaxel resistance in breast cancer we used two human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) that were made resistant to docetaxel. Docetaxel-resistant sub-lines were treated with different concentrations of decitabine. Global methylation and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) activity was measured using an ELISA-based assay. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to study DNMT gene expression. Cell viability was studied by MTT assay. Global methylation was increased in MCF-7 but not significantly changed in MDA-MB-231 docetaxel-resistant cells. Decreased DNMT activity and decreased DNMT1 and DNMT3b mRNA expression was associated with docetaxel resistance in both cell lines. To investigate how the components of the DNA methylation machinery may contribute towards docetaxel resistance, decitabine (5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine), an inhibitor of DNA methylation, was used. Decitabine treatment decreased global methylation, DNMT activity and DNMT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b mRNA expression in MDA-MB-231 docetaxel-resistant cells. In contrast, decitabine-treated MCF-7 docetaxel-resistant cells showed increased DNMT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b mRNA expression indicating a cell line specific effect of decitabine. Decitabine treatment increased resistance in MCF-7 docetaxel-resistant cells and in the parental MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 docetaxel-sensitive cell lines, however, it did not alter response to docetaxel in MDA-MB-231 docetaxel-resistant cells. This study demonstrates that changes in the DNA methylation machinery are associated with resistance to docetaxel in breast cancer cells. The use of epigenetic therapies, as a strategy to overcome drug resistance, needs to be investigated more fully to determine their effectiveness in different cancers and for different chemotherapy drugs.
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PMID:Altered DNA methylation is associated with docetaxel resistance in human breast cancer cells. 2037 98

In this study, we describe the engineering of sub-100 nm nanomicelles (DTX-PC NMs) derived from phosphocholine derivative of docetaxel (DTX)-conjugated lithocholic acid (DTX-PC) and poly(ethylene glycol)-tethered lithocholic acid. Administration of DTX-PC NMs decelerate tumor progression and increase the mice survivability compared to Taxotere (DTX-TS), the FDA-approved formulation of DTX. Unlike DTX-TS, DTX-PC NMs do not cause any systemic toxicity and slow the decay rate of plasma DTX concentration in rodents and non-rodent species including non-human primates. We further demonstrate that DTX-PC NMs target demethylation of CpG islands of Sparcl1 (a tumor suppressor gene) by suppressing DNA methyltransferase activity, and increase the expression of Sparcl1 that leads to tumor regression. Therefore, this unique system has the potential to improve the quality of life in cancer patients, and can be translated as a next-generation chemotherapeutic.
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PMID:Bile Acid Tethered Docetaxel-based Nanomicelles Mitigate Tumor Progression through Epigenetic Changes. 3325 65