Pro-caspase-3 overexpression sensitises ovarian cancer cells to proteasome inhibitors

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway plays a critical role in the degradation of several proteins involved in the cell cycle. Dysregulation of this pathway leads to inhibition of cellular proliferation and the induction of apoptosis. Ubiquitination and its downstream consequences have been investigated intensively as targets for the development of drugs for tumour therapy. Here we have investigated the mechanism of apoptosis induced by the proteasome inhibitors MG-132, lactacystin and calpain inhibitor I (ALLN), in the HEK 293 cell line and the ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV3 and OVCAR3. We have found strong caspase-3-like and caspase-6-like activation upon treatment of HEK 293 cells with MG-132. Using a tricistronic expression vector based on a tetracycline-responsive system we generated stable SKOV3 nd OVCAR3 cell lines with inducible expression of pro-caspase-3. Induction of pro-caspase-3 expression in normally growing cells does not induce apoptosis. However, in the presence of the proteasome inhibitors MG-132, lactacystin or ALLN we found that cells overexpressing pro-caspase-3 are rapidly targeted for apoptosis. Our results demonstrate that pro-caspase-3 can sensitise ovarian cancer cells to proteasome inhibitor-induced apoptosis, and a combination of these approaches might be exploited for therapy of ovarian and other cancers.