Regulation of platinum-compound cytotoxicity by the c-Jun N-terminal kinase and c-Jun signaling pathway in small-cell lung cancer cells

Cytotoxic platinum compounds including cisplatin are standard cancer chemotherapeutics and are also activators of stress-signaling pathways. In this study, we tested the role of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) family of mitogen-activated protein kinases and their transcription factor target, c-Jun, in the cytotoxic response of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) cells to cisplatin and its less effective trans-isomer, transplatin. Both agents stimulated JNK activity; the transplatin response was rapid and transient, whereas JNK activation by cisplatin was delayed and sustained. Despite the differential kinetics of JNK activation, expression of nonphosphorylatable JNK mutants sensitized the SCLC cells to killing by cisplatin or transplatin, suggesting that JNK activation in response to these agents signals a protective response. Consistent with this finding, overexpression of the JNK target, c-Jun, significantly protected SCLC cells from platinum compounds, whereas expression of a c-Jun mutant encoding only the DNA binding domain increased the sensitivity of the SCLC cells to these drugs. These findings support the hypothesis that activation of the JNKs by platinum compounds controls c-Jun-dependent transcriptional events that promote a protective response in SCLC cells. Oligonucleotide array analysis identified genes encoding a variety of signaling proteins whose expression was reciprocally changed by c-Jun and c-Jun-DBD (c-Jun-DNA binding domain). It is noteworthy that genes whose products are involved in DNA repair, glutathione synthesis, or drug accumulation did not exhibit altered expression by c-Jun or c-Jun-DBD. The findings indicate that inhibition of the JNK pathway is a potential means to enhance the sensitivity of SCLC cells to platinum compounds.