Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Intracellular Phosphoflow Cytometry of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient-Derived Xenotransplants
07:38

Intracellular Phosphoflow Cytometry of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient-Derived Xenotransplants

Published on: June 6, 2025

Signal pathways in ouabain-induced proliferation of leukemia cells

Jia-Wei Xu1, Run-Ming Jin, En-Qin Li

  • 1Pediatric Department, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.

World Journal of Pediatrics : WJP
|September 1, 2009
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Ouabain, a cardiotonic steroid, promotes leukemia cell proliferation by activating Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase and associated signaling pathways like Src and ERK1/2.

Area of Science:

  • Cellular Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Cardiotonic steroids (CTSs) interact with Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, modulating cell signaling pathways.
  • These pathways influence cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis in a cell-specific manner.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of ouabain-activated signaling pathways in regulating leukemia cell growth.
  • To understand the specific mechanisms by which ouabain affects leukemia cell proliferation.

Main Methods:

  • Incubation of lymphocytic leukemia (Jhhan) and megakaryocytic leukemia (M07e) cells with varying ouabain concentrations.
  • Assessment of cell proliferation using MTT assay.
  • Inhibition of Src kinase (PP2) and MEK (PD98059) to probe signaling pathways.
  • Evaluation of Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase alpha1 subunit expression via RT-PCR and Western blotting.

Main Results:

  • Ouabain (1 and 10 nmol) significantly promoted proliferation in both Jhhan and M07e leukemia cell lines.
  • Ouabain treatment led to an up-regulation of the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase alpha1 subunit expression.
  • Inhibitors PP2 and PD98059 effectively blocked ouabain's proliferative effects on leukemia cells.

Conclusions:

  • Ouabain activates the Src and ERK1/2 signaling pathways in leukemia cells.
  • These activated pathways play a crucial role in regulating leukemia cell proliferation.
  • Targeting these pathways may offer novel therapeutic strategies for leukemia.

More Related Videos

Proliferation and Differentiation of Murine Myeloid Precursor 32D/G-CSF-R Cells10:21

Proliferation and Differentiation of Murine Myeloid Precursor 32D/G-CSF-R Cells

Published on: February 21, 2018

Preparation of Primary Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cells in Different Cell Cycle Phases by Centrifugal Elutriation09:09

Preparation of Primary Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cells in Different Cell Cycle Phases by Centrifugal Elutriation

Published on: November 10, 2017

Related Concept Videos

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways01:19

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways

Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:31

The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

Internal cellular stress, such as cellular injury or hypoxia, triggers intrinsic apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are the primary regulators of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. For example, during DNA damage, checkpoint proteins, such as Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM protein) and Checkpoints Factor-2 (Chk2) proteins, are activated. These proteins phosphorylate p53 which further activates pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, Bak, PUMA, and Noxa, and inhibits...
Diversity in Cell Signaling Responses01:22

Diversity in Cell Signaling Responses

The physiological function of a cell and cellular communication are outcomes of a range of extrinsic signals, intracellular signaling pathways, and cellular responses. No two cell types express the same repertoire of signaling components. Receptors are highly selective for their cognate ligands, but once activated, they can alter multiple cellular processes such as DNA transcription, protein synthesis, and metabolic activity. 
Graded and Abrupt Responses
Some signaling systems generate...
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway02:26

NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway

The transcription factor NF-κB was discovered in 1986 in the lab of Nobel laureate Professor David Baltimore, for its interaction with the immunoglobulin light chain enhancer in B-cells. After more than three decades of study, it is now evident that NF-κB regulates the expression of over 100 genes. Most of these genes play an essential role in the innate and adaptive immune responses as well as the inflammatory responses of animals.
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
Amplifying Signals via Second Messengers01:15

Amplifying Signals via Second Messengers

Many receptor binding ligands are hydrophilic; they do not cross the cell membrane but bind to cell-surface receptors. Thus, their message must be relayed by second messengers present in the cell cytoplasm. There are several second messenger pathways, each with its own way of relaying information. For example, the G protein-coupled receptors can activate both phosphoinositol and cyclic AMP (cAMP) second messenger pathways. The phosphoinositol pathway is active when the receptor induces...
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...