Mechanism of the inhibition of leukemia cell growth and induction of apoptosis through the activation of ATR and PTEN by the topoisomerase inhibitor 3EZ, 20Ac-ingenol.

The PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is constitutively activated in various leukemias. In the present study, the topoisomerase inhibitor, 3EZ, 20Ac-ingenol, was more effective in inhibiting the growth of BALL-1 cells than that of normal lymphocyte cells. ATM/ATR protein levels were increased, PTEN protein was upregulated, and p-Akt protein was downregulated at early time points after treatment with 3EZ, 20Ac-ingenol. In further experiments, p53 protein expression was increased, and H2AX phosphorylation and p21 protein expression were induced after treatment with 3EZ, 20Ac-ingenol. Moreover, the activation of caspase 3 followed decrease in the Bcl-2/Bax ratio after treatment with 3EZ, 20Ac-ingenol, and accumulation of sub-G1 phase cells was observed in flow cytometry analyses. These data suggest that 3EZ, 20Ac-ingenol-induced DNA damage downregulates p-Akt and upregulates ATR leading to cell cycle arrest and increased apoptosis in BALL-1 cells.