Surface chemistry induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis of breast cancer cells via PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

• Published in: Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular cell research 2018-01, Vol.1865 (1), p.172-185
• Main Authors: Zhang, Jing, Li, Li, Peng, Yueting, Chen, Yu, Lv, Xiaoying, Li, Shun, Qin, Xiang, Yang, Hong, Wu, Chunhui, Liu, Yiyao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Apoptosis; Breast Neoplasms - chemistry; Breast Neoplasms - metabolism; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Chemical groups; Female; Humans; Intrinsic apoptotic pathway; Mitochondria - metabolism; Mitochondria - physiology; Mitochondria PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway; Permeability; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases - metabolism; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - metabolism; PTEN Phosphohydrolase - metabolism; Signal Transduction - physiology; Surface Properties
• ISSN: 0167-4889; 1879-2596
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2017.10.007

Tumor cell can be significantly influenced by various chemical groups of the extracellular matrix proteins. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in the interaction between cancer cells and functional groups in the extracellular matrix remain unknown. Using chemically modified surfaces with biological functional groups (CH3, NH2, OH), it was found that hydrophobic surfaces modified with CH3 and NH2 suppressed cell proliferation and induced the number of apoptotic cells. Mitochondrial dysfunction, cytochrome c release, Bax upregulation, cleaved caspase-3 and PARP, and Bcl-2 downregulation indicated that hydrophobic surfaces with CH3 and NH2 triggered the activation of intrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway. Cells on the CH3- and NH2-modified hydrophobic surfaces showed downregulated expression and activation of integrin β1, with a subsequent decrease of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activity. The RhoA/ROCK/PTEN signaling was then activated to inhibit the phosphorylation of PI3K and AKT, which are essential for cell proliferation. However, pretreatment of MDA-MB-231 cells with SF1670, a PTEN inhibitor, abolished the hydrophobic surface-induced activation of the intrinsic pathway. Taken together, the present results indicate that CH3- and NH2-modified hydrophobic surfaces induce mitochondria-mediated apoptosis by suppressing the PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway, but not OH surfaces. These findings are helpful to understand the interaction between extracellular matrix and cancer cells, which might provide new insights into the mechanism potential intervention strategies for tumor prognosis. •Hydrophobic surfaces modified with CH3 and NH2 suppress cell proliferation with a decline of cyclin D1.•CH3- and NH2- modified surfaces induce mitochondria-mediated apoptosis of breast cancer cells via PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway.•Hydrophobic surfaces downregulate filopodia formation and focal adhesion signaling.•PTEN inhibition abolishes the hydrophobic surface-induced cancer cells apoptosis.