Phytochemicals have provided an abundant and effective source of therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. Here we describe the characterization of a novel plant toxin, persin, with in vivo activity in the mammary gland and a p53-, estrogen receptor-, and Bcl-2-independent mode of action. Persin was previously identified from avocado leaves as the toxic principle responsible for mammary gland-specific necrosis and apoptosis in lactating livestock. Here we used a lactating mouse model to confirm that persin has a similar cytotoxicity for the lactating mammary epithelium. Further in vitro studies in a panel of human breast cancer cell lines show that persin selectively induces a G2-M cell cycle arrest and caspase-dependent apoptosis in sensitive cells. The latter is dependent on expression of the BH3-only protein Bim. Bim is a sensor of cytoskeletal integrity, and there is evidence that persin acts as a microtubule-stabilizing agent. Due to the unique structure of the compound, persin could represent a novel class of microtubule-targeting agent with potential specificity for breast cancer. Copyright © 2006 American Association for Cancer Research.
CITATION STYLE
Butt, A. J., Roberts, C. G., Seawright, A. A., Oelrichs, P. B., MacLeod, J. K., Liaw, T. Y. E., … Sutherland, R. L. (2006). A novel plant toxin, persin, with in vivo activity in the mammary gland, induces Bim-dependent apoptosis in human breast cancer cells. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, 5(9), 2300–2309. https://doi.org/10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-06-0170
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