Premium
Gossypol suppresses telomerase activity in human leukemia cells via regulating hTERT
Author(s) -
Moon Dong-Oh,
Kim Mun-Ock,
Choi Yung Hyun,
Lee Hee Gu,
Kim Nam Deuk,
Kim Gi-Young
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2008.08.029
Subject(s) - telomerase , telomerase reverse transcriptase , gossypol , chemistry , leukemia , telomere , microbiology and biotechnology , cancer research , biochemistry , biology , dna , genetics , gene
Gossypol is a polyphenolic compound originally isolated from cottonseed that has long been used successfully as a contraceptive drug for males. However, the molecular mechanism of anti‐telomerase effects of gossypol is not entirely understood. In this study, we observed direct cytotoxicity and inhibition of telomerase activity with downregulation of telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression. Gossypol treatment resulted in a decrease of c‐Myc expression and binding activity. Gossypol treatment also suppressed the activation of Akt, thereby inhibiting hTERT phosphorylation and translocation into the nucleus. We conclude that gossypol regulates the loss of telomerase activity through transcriptional and posttranslational modifications of hTERT.