The effect of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand on the activity of nuclear kappa B in prostate cancer cell line PC-3M

AIM: To investigate the activation and inactivation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) when tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is applied to induce the apoptosis of androgen-independent prostate cancer cell line PC-3M.METHODS: After the treatment of TRAIL or LPS at different doses, we tested the nuclear translocation of NF-κB by cell immunohistochemical staining and electrophoretic mobility shift assay(EMSA), and evaluated the level of IκB by RT-PCR under pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) treatment. RESULTS: EMSA and cell immunohistochemical analysis showed that the translocation of NF-κB was significantly activated when PC-3M cells were treated with TRAIL or LPS (P<0.05). The pretreatment of PDTC upregulated the expression of IκB and blocked the nuclear translocation of NF-κB.CONCLUSION: TRAIL remarkably stimulates the activation of nuclear NF-κB in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells. On the other hand, the translocation of NF-κB can be significantly and efficiently inhibited in PC-3M cells by pretreatment with PDTC. The increased expression of IκB might be a clue for this inhibition, which means the possible way to enhance the effect of TRAIL in the apoptosis of prostate cancer cells.