Protein kinase C involvement in proliferation and survival of breast cancer cells

Members of protein kinase C (PKC) family have been widely implicated in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation and survival. Increased protein C activity in malignant breast tissue and in most aggressive breast cancer cell lines suggests possible role of PKC in the development and progression of breast cancer. PKC may be therefore a target for breast cancer treatment. In our study we attempted to investigate the effect of: phorbol ester (PMA)-PKC activator, and bisindolylmaleimide II (GF II), a highly selective PKC inhibitor, on the proliferation as well as induction of apoptosis and necrosis in breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. Our results provide evidence for multidirectional effects of PKC on the proliferation of this type of breast cancer cells. The effects of both compounds were different after short time of exposition (1-3 h). PMA induced proliferation, while GF II showed an opposite effect. After 24 h, however, both compounds exhibited relatively high inhibitory effect on the proliferation and proved to be effective in induction of necrosis and apoptosis.