Apoptosis effects of Xrel3 c-Rel/nuclear factor-kappa B homolog in human cervical cancer cells

Cervical cancer is considered a common yet preventable cause of death in women. In this report, we studied the role of the NF-kappa B gene family in HeLa human cervical cancer cells, using the Xre13 c-Rel homologue of Xenopus laevis. The expression of Xre13/c-Rel slowed cell growth 6-fold, consistent with an upregulated expression of the cell cycle inhibitor p21. The activated PARP apoptosis effector was significantly increased (P < 0.01), Based on cell viability assays Xre13 provided an anti-apoptotic effect in I PM cisplatin, and this was associated with significantly lower levels of the apoptotic proteins Bax and MDM-2 (P < 0.05). Furthermore, there was a 3-fold drop in the level of the tumor suppressor protein p53. In 5 mu M cisplatin, expression of HeLa Xre13 enhanced apoptosis by significantly increasing the expression of the apoptotic proteins Bax and MDM-2 (P < 0.05). However, the tumor suppressor protein p53 showed a significant decrease (P < 0.05) relative to the control. Thus, c-Rel/NF-kappa B may potentially be of clinical significance, especially in tumors exhibiting resistance to high-level chemotherapy. (c) 2005 International Federation for Cell Biology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.