Down-regulation of hTERT expression plays an important role in 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2-induced apoptosis in cancer cells

The cyclopentenone prostaglandin 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) has been shown to possess antineoplastic activity in human cancers of various origins. However, the mechanism of the antineoplastic activity of 15d-PGJ2 remains to be completely elucidated. It has been reported that inhibiting the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), a major determinant of telomerase activity, induces rapid apoptosis in cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of 15d-PGJ2 on hTERT expression. Treatment with 30 µM 15d-PGJ2 for 72 h induced apoptosis in the colon cancer cells LS180. 15d-PGJ2 treatment decreased hTERT protein expression in a dose-dependent manner. Down-regulation of hTERT expression by hTERT-specific small inhibitory RNA induced apoptosis. These results indicate that the down-regulation of hTERT expression by 15d-PGJ2 plays an important role in its proapoptotic properties. Since 15d-PGJ2 reduced hTERT mRNA expression, we examined the effect of 15d-PGJ2 on the DNA-binding activity of c-Myc, specificity protein 1 (Sp1) and estrogen receptor (ER) to the hTERT gene promoter using an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. 15d-PGJ2 attenuated the DNA-binding of all three transcriptional factors. Further, we observed that 15d-PGJ2 inhibited the DNA binding of these factors by different mechanisms; suppressed c-Myc mRNA expression, enhanced Sp1 protein degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and inhibited ERβ phosphorylation at serine residues. We conclude that hTERT down-regulation by 15d-PGJ2 plays an important role in its proapoptotic properties. Furthermore, 15d-PGJ2 inhibits the transcriptional activity of c-Myc, Sp1 and ER by three different mechanisms and results in the transcriptional repression of the hTERT gene.