Rhein exhibits antitumorigenic effects by interfering with the interaction between prolyl isomerase Pin1 and c-Jun

The Pin1 protein (or peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase) specifically catalyzes the cis/trans isomerization of phosphorylated serine/threonine-proline (Ser/Thr-Pro) bonds and plays an important role in many cellular events through the effects of conformational change in the function of c-Jun, its biological substrate. Pin1 expression is involved in essential cellular pathways that mediate cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, tumorigenesis and apoptosis by altering their stability and function, and it is overexpressed in various types of tumors. Pin1 phosphorylation has been regarded as a marker of Pin1 isomerase activity, and the phosphorylation of Ser/Thr-Pro on protein substrates is prerequisite for its binding activity with Pin1 and subsequent isomerization. Since phosphorylation of proteins on Ser/Thr-Pro is a key regulatory mechanism in the control of cell proliferation and transformation, Pin1 has become an attractive molecule in cancer research. Many inhibitors of Pin1 have been discovered, including several classes of both designed inhibitors and natural products. Anthraquinone compounds possess antitumor properties and have therefore been applied in human and veterinary therapeutics as active substances in medicinal products. Among the anthraquinones, rhein (4,5-dihydroxy-9,10-dioxoanthracene-2-carboxylic acid) is a monomeric anthraquinone derivative found mainly in plants in the Polygonaceae family, such as rhubarb and Polygonum cuspidatum. Recent studies have shown that rhein has numerous pharmacological activities, including antitumor effects. Here, we demonstrated the antitumorigenic effect of rhein using cell proliferation assay, anchorage-independent cell transformation, pull-down assay, luciferase promoter activity, fluorescence-activated cell sorting and western blot analysis. The rhein/Pin1 association was found to play a regulatory role in cell proliferation and neoplastic cell transformation and the binding of phosphorylated c-Jun (Ser73) with Pin1 was markedly decreased and inhibited activator protein 1 or NF-κB reporter activity by rhein. Overall, our findings and the accompanying biochemical data demonstrated the antitumorigenic effect of rhein through its interference in Pin1/c-Jun interaction and suggest the possible use of rhein in suppressing the tumor-promoting effects of Pin1. Therefore, rhein may have practical implications for cancer prevention or therapy.