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Query: UMLS:C0027651 (tumor)
 685,946 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Polo-like kinases (Plk) regulate multiple stages in mitosis. Plk1 is overexpressed in tumors. The COOH-terminal regions of Plks contain a conserved domain, termed polo-box, which is required for subcellular localization and for physical interaction with substrates. We linked the polo-box (amino acids 410-429) of Plk1 to an Antennapedia peptide and studied its impact on tumor cells. Whereas the wild-type polo-box inhibited the proliferation of tumor cells associated with induction of apoptosis, a mutated derivative was much less effective. The treatment caused mitotic arrest, misaligned chromosomes, and multiple centrosomes. Taken together, membrane-permeable polo-box peptides inhibit cancer cell proliferation efficiently.
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PMID:Efficient internalization of the polo-box of polo-like kinase 1 fused to an Antennapedia peptide results in inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. 1215 15

Increased expression of the cell proliferation-associated polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) and apoptosis-associated BCL-2 genes has been observed in different human malignancies. Inhibition of cell proliferation and reactivation of apoptosis are basic principles in anticancer therapy. The efficiency of this approach is often limited by insuf-ficient targeting and delivery of anticancer drugs into the tumors. Phosphorothioate antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) directed against PLK1 and BCL-2 were administered systemically via the tail vein into nude mice bearing A549, MDA-MB-435, and Detroit562 xenografts. To enhance tumor-specific uptake and to reduce systemic toxicity of antisense ODNs membrane electroporation transfer was applied in vivo. Northern and Western blot analyses were used to assess PLK1 and BCL-2 expression. Tumor mass was assessed after resection of tumors. All three cell lines and corresponding xenografts expressed high levels of PLK1 and were sensitive towards antisense PLK1 treatment. Antisense BCL-2 therapy was effective in tumors expressing high levels of BCL-2, but not in A549 cells and corresponding xenografts, which express low levels of BCL-2. Administration of antisense ODNs in a dose of 5 mg/kg, twice weekly during four weeks supported by the membrane electroporation transfer, eradicated 60-100% of the xenografted tumors. Antitumor effect in BCL-2 overexpressing MDA-MB-435 cells was synergistic for BCL-2 and PLK1 combination therapy. This study provides evidence that combined systemic administration of antisense ODNs against proliferation and pro- survival associated targets and in vivo electroporation of tumors represents a promising antitumor therapeutic approach.
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PMID:Tumor regression by combination antisense therapy against Plk1 and Bcl-2. 1252 9

beta-Hydroxyisovalerylshikonin (beta-HIVS), which was isolated from the plant, Lithospermum radix, induces apoptosis in various lines of human tumor cells. To identify genes involved in beta-HIVS-induced apoptotic process, we performed cDNA array analysis and found that beta-HIVS suppresses the expression of the gene for a polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) that is involved in control of the cell cycle. When U937 and HL60 cells were treated with 10(-6) M beta-HIVS for 0.5 h, both the amount of PLK1 itself and the kinase activity of this enzyme were decreased. By contrast, Bcr-Abl-positive K562 cells were resistant to the induction of apoptosis by beta-HIVS and this compound did not suppress the kinase activity of PLK1 in these cells. However, simultaneous treatment of K562 cells with both beta-HIVS and STI571, which selectively inhibits the protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) activity of Bcr-Abl, strongly induced apoptosis. Moreover, beta-HIVS increased the inhibitory effect of STI571 on PTK activity. Treatment of K562 cells with antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) specific for PLK1 sensitized these cells to the beta-HIVS-induced fragmentation of DNA. These results suggest that suppression of the activity of PLK1 via inhibition of tyrosine kinase activity by beta-HIVS might play a critical role in the induction of apoptosis.
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PMID:Beta-hydroxyisovalerylshikonin induces apoptosis in human leukemia cells by inhibiting the activity of a polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1). 1259 88

The Ste20 family of serine/threonine kinases plays an important role in numerous cellular functions such as growth, apoptosis, and morphogenesis. We have identified a previously cloned but uncharacterized family member termed Stk10, which is a human homolog of murine Lok, a serine/threonine kinase highly expressed in lymphocytes. Northern analysis demonstrated that the Stk10 transcript is present in many tissues, although highest expression levels are seen in hematopoietic cells. Due to close sequence homology to human Slk and Xenopus laevis xPlkk1, two polo-like kinase kinases, we investigated whether Stk10 might also play a role as a Plk1 activator. Plk1 has been shown to be overexpressed in multiple tumor types, thus attracting high interest to its potential upstream regulators. We show here that Stk10 can associate with Plk1 in cells and furthermore can phosphorylate Plk1 in vitro. Engineered NIH-3T3 cell lines that overexpress a dominant negative version of Stk10 display an altered cell cycle phenotype characterized by increased DNA content, raising the possibility that expression of a dominant negative Stk10 may impinge upon Plk1 function in vivo; it has previously been shown that unregulated expression of Plk1 can result in a variety of nuclear defects. We suggest, therefore, that Stk10 is a novel polo-like kinase kinase that cooperates with hSlk to regulate Plk1 function in human cells.
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PMID:Stk10, a new member of the polo-like kinase kinase family highly expressed in hematopoietic tissue. 1263 66

PLK (polo-like kinase), the human counterpart of polo in Drosophila melanogaster and of CDC5 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, belongs to a family of serine/threonine kinases. It is intimately involved in spindle formation and chromosome segregation during mitosis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether PLK1 is overexpressed in primary colorectal cancer specimens as compared with normal colon mucosa and to assess its relation to other kinases as a potential new tumor marker. In the present study, immunohistochemical analyses were performed of PLK1 expression in 78 primary colorectal cancers as well as 15 normal colorectal specimens. Furthermore, we examined the relationship between other kinases, Aurora-A and Aurora-C, and PLK1 expression. In normal colon mucosa, some crypt cells showed weakly positive staining for PLK1 in 13 out of 15 cases, the remaining cases being negative. Elevated expression of PLK1 was observed in 57 (73.1%) of the colorectal cancers, statistically significant associations being evident with pT (primary tumor invasion) (P=0.0006, Mann-Whitney U test), pN (regional lymph nodes) (P=0.008, chi2 test) and the Dukes' classification (P=0.0005, Mann-Whitney U test). Mean proliferating cell nuclear antigen-labeling index was 52.3%, with a range of 24.1% to 77.3%. Values for lesions with high and low PLK1 expression were 54.7+/-10.3% (mean+/-SD) and 45.9+/-11.9% (P=0.002, Student's t test). PLK1 was significantly associated with Aurora-A, but PLK1 staining was more diffuse and extensive than for Aurora-A or Aurora-C. Interestingly, PLK1 overexpression was significantly associated with p53 accumulation in colorectal cancers. Our results suggest overexpression of PLK1 might be of pathogenic, prognostic and proliferative importance, so that this kinase might have potential as a new tumor marker for colorectal cancers.
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PMID:Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is overexpressed in primary colorectal cancers. 1270 89

Studies from eukaryotic model systems, ranging from yeast to human, indicate that Polo and Polo-like kinases (Plks) are essential for the activity of the microtubule organization center. Polo/Plks localize to centrosomes or spindle pole bodies and undergo dramatic subcellular relocation during the cell cycle. Deregulated activities of Plks often result in abnormalities in centrosome duplication, maturation, and/or microtubule dynamics. Genetic and biochemical approaches have identified several candidate genes that either lie in the same pathway as POLO/PLKs or whose products are direct targets of Polo/Plks during the centrosome cycle. Recent studies have demonstrated that mammalian Plks also regulate the function of the Golgi complex, a cellular organelle closely associated with the centrosome and also having microtubule organization activity. Furthermore, deregulated expression of human PLK1 and PLK3 is strongly correlated with the development of many types of malignancies, and ectopic expression of kinase-active Plk3 or Plk1 dominant negative protein leads to rapid cell death. Given that several effective anti-tumor drugs directly interfere with microtubule dynamics, mammalian Plks are excellent targets for the development of anticancer drugs.
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PMID:Polo-like kinases and the microtubule organization center: targets for cancer therapies. 1459 27

DNA damage activates the G2 cell cycle checkpoint to allow time for DNA repair before mitotic entry. The mechanism involves inhibition of the enzymatic activity for polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1), rendering Cdc25C with a basal phosphatase activity that is insufficient for converting Cdc2 to the fully active G2/M transition kinase. We found that cell cycle arrest at the G2/M boundary after ionizing radiation (IR) of breast carcinoma cells may involve repression of the gene for Plk1, PLK, mediated by the tumor-suppressor protein BRCA1. The p53-defective MT-1 cell line had an apparent accumulation of G2/M phase cells 12 h after irradiation. This response was preceded by a transient downregulation of PLK mRNA expression with a barely detectable level 6 h after exposure to IR but recovered after 12 h. A significantly lower fraction of irradiated BRCA1(-/-) HCC1937 cells arrested in the G2/M phase after 12 h, and the transient response of PLK mRNA was also considerably impaired. After reconstitution of wild-type BRCA1 in the HCC1937 cells however, downregulation of PLK mRNA as well as Plk1 protein expression after IR was restored. Moreover, the suppression of PLK mRNA expression 6 h after irradiation was completely abolished by the specific CHEK1 kinase inhibitor UCN-01, further indicating that the effector mechanism of DNA damage on PLK signals through BRCA1 and its downstream CHEK1. Our observations provide new information about the diversity of regulatory mechanisms governed by BRCA1 in DNA damage checkpoint control.
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PMID:Repression of mRNA for the PLK cell cycle gene after DNA damage requires BRCA1. 1465 92

A unique property of the photodynamic signal transduction inhibitor hypericin is functionality in the dark. We show in tumor cells that hypericin targets the heat shock protein (Hsp) 90 chaperone but not Hsp70 (Hsc70) to enhanced ubiquitinylation. As a consequence Hsp90 chaperone functionality is abrogated and the client proteins, mutant p53, Cdk4, Raf-1, and Plk, are displaced from complexes with Hsp90, destabilized, and degraded via a proteasome-independent pathway. Decline in Raf-1 prevents downstream activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 kinases, the Ras/Raf pathway is inhibited, and tumor cell proliferation is arrested. The cells exhibit multiple aberrations including retardation at G(2)-M, increased cell volume, and multinucleation, all of which are hallmarks of mitotic cell death. The studies demonstrate that ubiquitinylation of Hsp90 inactivates the chaperone, destabilizes the plethora of client proteins, and creates deficiencies in multiple unrelated cellular functions. This combination constitutes a mechanism by which hypericin generates mitotic cell death in cancer cells.
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PMID:Enhanced ubiquitinylation of heat shock protein 90 as a potential mechanism for mitotic cell death in cancer cells induced with hypericin. 1467 81

Plk1 (Polo-like kinase 1) is a critical regulator of cell cycle progression that harbors oncogenic activity and exhibits aberrant expression in multiple tumors. However, the mechanism through which Plk1 expression is regulated has not been extensively studied. Here we demonstrate that Plk1 is a target of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor (RB) pathway. Activation of RB and related pocket proteins p107/p130 mediate attenuation of Plk1. Conversely, RB loss deregulates the control of Plk1 expression. RB pathway activation resulted in the repression of Plk1 promoter activity, and this action was dependent on the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex. Although SWI/SNF subunits are lost during tumorigenesis and cooperate with RB for transcriptional repression, the mechanism through which SWI/SNF impinges on RB action is unresolved. Therefore, we delineated the requirement of SWI/SNF for three critical facets of Plk1 promoter regulation: transcription factor binding, corepressor binding, and histone modification. We find that E2F4 and pocket protein association with the Plk1 promoter is independent of SWI/SNF. However, these analyses revealed that SWI/SNF is required for histone deacetylation of the Plk1 promoter. The importance of SWI/SNF-dependent histone deacetylation of the Plk1 promoter was evident, because blockade of this event restored Plk1 expression in the presence of active RB. In summary, these data demonstrate that Plk1 is a target of the RB pathway. Moreover, these findings demonstrate a hierarchical role for SWI/SNF in the control of promoter activity through histone modification.
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PMID:Hierarchical requirement of SWI/SNF in retinoblastoma tumor suppressor-mediated repression of Plk1. 1510 33

Tumor cell cycle arrest at the cell cycle G2/M boundary after ionizing radiation involves inhibition of the Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1). We recently found that the mechanism comprised repression of its gene, PLK, mediated by the tumor-suppressor protein BRCA1. In the present study we examined the regulatory responses on PLK and cell cycle phases in breast carcinoma cell lines exposed to various modes of therapeutic irradiation. The tumor cells, harboring different DNA damage checkpoint defects, were irradiated with either a single dose of 8.0 Gy or fractionated doses accumulating to 8.0 Gy. In the BRCA1-/- HCC1937 cell line both radiation regimens caused moderate repression of PLK mRNA expression, whereas the reconstituted wild-type (wt) BRCA1 genotype of the HCC1937/BRCA1wt cell line was associated with significant down-regulation of PLK mRNA expression after irradiation. In contrast to the HCC1937 cell lines, the MCF7/LCC2 cells displayed the characteristic wt TP53 constitution of persistent, radiation-induced CDKN1A mRNA expression (encoding the G1 cell cycle inhibitor p21(Waf1/Cip1/Sdi1)). The regulatory effects on PLK in the MCF7/LCC2 cells, however, were identical to those in the HCC1937/BRCA1wt cell line. Moreover, whereas neither HCC1937 cell line displayed G1/S cell cycle arrest after irradiation but, instead, an apparent accumulation of G2/M-phase cells, the radiation-induced delay at the G1/S boundary seemed to be superior to arrest at the G2/M transition in the MCF7/LCC2 cell line. Since the down-regulation of PLK mRNA expression by ionizing radiation was identical in the wt TP53 MCF7/LCC2 cell line and the TP53-mutated BRCA1-/- HCC1937 cell line reconstituted with wt BRCA1, we conclude that this regulatory effect solely requires an intact G2 checkpoint effector mechanism.
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PMID:Ionizing radiation inhibits the PLK cell cycle gene in a G2 checkpoint-dependent manner. 1516 Sep 94


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