Selective activation of protein kinase C-δ and -ɛ by 6,11,12,14-tetrahydroxy-abieta-5,8,11,13-tetraene-7-one (coleon U)

• Autor(a) principal: Coutinho, Isabel
• Data de Publicação: 2009
• Outros Autores: Pereira, G., Simões, M. F., Côrte-Real, Manuela, Gonçalves. Jorge, Saraiva, L.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/51054
• topic: Coleon U; Selective PKC activator; PKC-delta; PKC-epsilon; Apoptosis; Yeast; PKC-δ; PKC-ε; Science & Technology

6,11,12,14-tetrahydroxy-abieta-5,8,11,13-tetraene-7-one (coleon U) is a diterpene compound isolated from Plectranthus grandidentatus with an antiproliferative effect on several human cancer cell lines. Herein, we studied the modulatory activity of coleon U on individual isoforms of the three protein kinase C (PKC) subfamilies, classical (cPKC-α and -βI), novel (nPKC-δ and -ɛ) and atypical (aPKC-ζ), using a yeast PKC assay. The results showed that, whereas the PKC activator phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) activated every PKC tested except aPKC, coleon U had no effect on aPKC and cPKCs. Besides, the effect of coleon U on nPKCs was higher than that of PMA. This revealed that coleon U was a potent and selective activator of nPKCs. The isoform-selectivity of coleon U for nPKC-δ and -ɛ was confirmed using an in vitro PKC assay. Most importantly, while PMA activated nPKCs inducing an isoform translocation from the cytosol to the plasma membrane and a G2/M cell cycle arrest, coleon U induced nPKCs translocation to the nucleus and a metacaspase- and mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis. This work therefore reconstitutes in yeast distinct subcellular translocations of a PKC isoform and the subsequent distinct cellular responses reported for mammalian cells. Together, our study identifies a new isoform-selective PKC activator with promising pharmacological applications. Indeed, since coleon U has no effect on cPKCs and aPKC, recognised as anti-apoptotic proteins, and selectively induces an apoptotic pathway dependent on nPKC-δ and -ɛ activation, it represents a promising compound for evaluation as an anti-cancer drug.