Mcl-1参与非小细胞肺癌对吉非替尼耐药的实验研究

目的:探究人髓细胞白血病基因-1(myeloid cell leukemia-1,Mcl-1)是否参与非小细胞肺癌对吉非替尼的耐药。方法:应用Western blot检测Mcl-1在吉非替尼敏感细胞PC-9和耐药细胞H1975表达差异;梯度浓度的吉非替尼作用于PC-9细胞后,Western blot实验检测B淋巴细胞瘤-2基因(B-cell lymphoma-2,Bcl-2)家族中抗凋亡蛋白的表达变化;应用Western blot实验检测Mcl-1在PC-9和H1975细胞内降解速度差异。结果:Mcl-1在PC-9细胞内的表达明显低于H1975细胞,差异有统计学意义(P0.05),并且随着吉非替尼作用浓度的升高,Mcl-1表达逐渐降低,而Bcl-2和Bcl-x L表达基本不变,并且PC-9细胞内Mcl-1降解更迅速,半衰期明显缩短。结论:非小细胞肺癌对吉非替尼耐药可能与Mcl-1的表达量上调,降解速度减慢,半衰期延长有关。     

白藜芦醇对胰腺癌细胞增殖和凋亡影响的研究

为了研究白藜芦醇对人胰腺癌细胞增殖和存活的影响,利用不同浓度白藜芦醇处理PANC-1和Bx PC-3细胞,通过MTS和软琼脂集落实验检测白藜芦醇对胰腺癌细胞的停泊依赖和停泊非依赖增殖的抑制。同时,采用免疫印迹的方法,检测不同浓度白藜芦醇对胰腺癌细胞增殖相关信号通路的调控,及不同时间点凋亡激活相关蛋白分子的表达。结果发现白藜芦醇能剂量依赖性抑制PANC-1和Bx PC-3细胞增殖,并且这种增殖抑制作用与表皮生长因子受体(epithelial growth factor receptor,EGFR)及下游信号通路的抑制有关。一定浓度的白藜芦醇能诱导胰腺癌细胞发生凋亡,caspase3和caspase7被剪切活化。通过检测Bcl-2(B-cell lymphoma-2,Bcl-2)促存活家族蛋白,证实白藜芦醇能有效抑制Mcl-1(myeloid cell leukemia-1,Mcl-1)的表达,并不改变Bcl-2和Bcl-XL的表达。实验结果初步表明,白藜芦醇抑制胰腺癌的增殖与存活与EGFR信号通路及促存活蛋白Mcl-1的表达下调有关。     

Spautin-1通过抑制自噬可增强舒尼替尼诱导的肾癌细胞凋亡

目的:研究spautin-1(一种自噬抑制剂)是否能抑制舒尼替尼诱导的肾癌细胞的自噬以及对舒尼替尼诱导的肾癌细胞凋亡的影响。方法:以肾癌细胞系786-O细胞为模型,Western Blot检测spautin-1对舒尼替尼诱导786-O细胞自噬的影响;Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8)检测spautin-1和舒尼替尼对786-O细胞增殖的影响;应用流式细胞术,检测spautin-1对舒尼替尼诱导的786-O细胞凋亡的影响;Western Blot检测spautin-1的促凋亡作用与PI3K/AKT/GSK3β信号通路及抗凋亡蛋白Bcl-2和Mcl-1的关系。结果:与舒尼替尼单独处理组相比,spautin-1能通过降低Beclin-1的表达显著抑制舒尼替尼在786-O细胞中诱导的自噬;Spautin-1和舒尼替尼联合作用明显增强舒尼替尼对786-O细胞增殖的抑制作用;Spautin-1能进一步增强舒尼替尼诱导的786-O细胞的凋亡;Spautin-1和舒尼替尼联合处理786-O细胞时,可以显著降低p-AKTSer473和p-GSK3βSer9的蛋白表达水平,增强GSK3β的活性,进而下调Bcl-2、Mcl-1的表达。结论:Spautin-1能通过抑制AKT活性并活化GSK3β,进一步降低抗凋亡蛋白Bcl-2、Mcl-1的表达,增强舒尼替尼诱导的肾癌细胞凋亡。     

Mcl-1在胆盐（GCDA）诱导的肝癌细胞耐药中的作用

目的：探讨抗凋亡蛋白Mcl-1在GCDA诱导的肝癌细胞耐药中的作用及其机制。方法：培养3种肝癌细胞系,用免疫荧光法和Western blot技术检测Mcl-1的表达;GCDA±CYC处理HepG2细胞,采用Western blot技术检测Mcl-1的半衰期变化;用抗癌药物Irinotecan与GCDA对HepG2细胞进行处理,采用MTT法和Western blot技术分别检测细胞增殖抑制率和Mcl-1的表达变化;用RNA干扰技术下调Mcl-1,检测化疗药物对HepG2细胞的敏感性。结果：Mcl-1在肝癌细胞中广泛表达;GCDA能延长Mcl-1的半衰期至6h以上,并明显减弱化疗药物对抗凋亡蛋白Mcl-1的抑制作用,降低癌细胞的药物敏感性;RNA干扰下调Mcl-1能增加癌细胞的药物敏感性。结论：胆盐（GCDA）能诱导HepG2细胞产生耐药性,其作用机制可能是通过延长Mcl-1半衰期增加其蛋白稳定性和抗凋亡作用来促使肝癌细胞抗药的。     

Mcl-1 分子研究进展

Mcl-1(myeloid cell leukemia-1)是Bcl-2家族的一个新成员,在凋亡调控中具有重要作用,此外它还可以直接对细胞分化和细胞周期进行调控,进一步研究表明Mcl-1在胚胎形成,组织发育和免疫系统中具有重要作用,Mcl-1表达异常可以导致恶性肿瘤的发生,因此通过反义寡核苷酸技术或小分子干扰RNA抑制Mcl-1基因的表达,促进细胞凋亡并提高肿瘤细胞对放疗及化疗的敏感性,为难治性肿瘤的治疗开辟了一条新途,所以对Mcl-1的深入研究具有重要意义。     

紫铆因对食管鳞癌细胞增殖和存活影响的初步研究

研究紫铆因对人食管鳞癌细胞增殖和存活的影响。通过MTS和软琼脂集落实验检测紫铆因对食管鳞癌增殖的抑制,生化分析仪检测紫铆因对食管鳞癌糖酵解的影响,并利用免疫印迹检测紫铆因对食管鳞癌细胞增殖和凋亡激活相关蛋白分子的表达。结果发现紫铆因剂量依赖性抑制KYSE150和Eca109细胞增殖,下调EGFR信号通路活化,抑制HK2的表达及糖酵解。一定浓度的紫铆因能诱导食管鳞癌细胞发生凋亡,caspase3和PARP被剪切,Bcl-2和Mcl-1表达下调,但Bcl-XL未见明显改变。结果证明紫铆因抑制食管鳞癌的增殖,可能与EGFR信号通路和糖酵解被抑制,及促存活蛋白Bcl-2和Mcl-1的表达下调有关。     

TGF-β信号通路抑制剂LY364947对急性髓系白血病细胞增殖、凋亡和侵袭的影响

该文旨在探讨抑制TGF-β信号通路对人急性髓系白血病(acute myeloid leukemia,AML)细胞体外增殖、凋亡和侵袭能力的影响。使用不同浓度TGF-β信号通路抑制剂LY364947处理AML细胞系(KG1a、OCI-AML3)后,采用CCK-8实验检测细胞体外增殖能力;流式细胞术检测细胞周期分布及凋亡情况; Western blot检测细胞周期调控因子Cyclin D1/p21、凋亡相关蛋白Bcl-2/Bax以及上皮细胞间质转化相关蛋白E-cadherin、N-cadherin和vimentin的表达; Transwell实验测定AML细胞迁移及侵袭能力的变化。结果显示:LY364947作用后,白血病细胞生长明显受抑制;细胞周期阻滞在G1期,伴有Cyclin D1表达下调和p21表达上调;细胞凋亡率增加,同时细胞抗凋亡蛋白Bcl-2的表达水平下降,促凋亡蛋白Bax表达增高;细胞体外迁移和侵袭能力减弱。此外, E-cadherin表达增高, N-cadherin和vimentin表达下降。该研究结果提示,抑制TGF-β信号通路能够抑制白血病细胞的体外增殖,诱导细胞凋亡,降低细胞迁移及侵袭能力。     

PI3K/Akt与细胞线粒体途径凋亡因子相关性研究进展

线粒体途径细胞凋亡与多种疾病(如肿瘤、心血管疾病、神经退行性疾病等)密切相关,B淋巴细胞瘤-2(B-cell leukemia-2,Bcl-2)家族蛋白的调控在这些疾病的治疗中起着重要作用。磷脂酰肌醇-3-激酶(phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase,PI3K)/丝/苏氨酸蛋白激酶(serine/threonine protein kinase Akt)信号通路作为机体细胞信号转导的重要通路,可通过影响下游效应分子(Bcl-x L、Bcl-w、Mcl-1、A1、Bax、Bak、Bim、Bad、Bid等)的活性调节细胞的凋亡。就PI3K/Akt与线粒体途径凋亡相关因子的关联性进行综述,以期发现此通路中某些关键的分子靶点,为凋亡相关性疾病的治疗及药物研发提供参考。     

急性白血病患者骨髓组织血管新生与Bcl-2蛋白关系的研究

目的：探讨急性白血病患者骨髓组织血管新生与Bcl-2蛋白的关系,为临床治疗白血病提供可靠的理论依据。方法：回顾性分析2007年3月～2011月6月我院收治的42例急性白血病患者和42例增生性贫血和疑为血液系统疾病的患者作为对照组的临床资料。结果：对照组患者骨髓组织中的微血管密度（MVD）、血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）及Bcl-2蛋白的表达水平均显著低于急性白血病患者,两组比较差异有极显著统计学意义（P〈0.01）。急性白血病患者骨髓组织中VEGF、MVD及Bcl-2蛋白之间,彼此两两呈正相关性。结论：Bcl-2蛋白的阳性表达在白血病的抗凋亡与血管新生方面,都发挥着重要的作用,通过对Bcl-2蛋白的研究,为临床治疗白血病提供了一条诊断、治疗白血病的新思路。     

Bcl-2蛋白的研究进展

Bcl-2基因属于Bcl-2基因家族,其表达的Bcl-2蛋白在细胞凋亡过程中通过抑制线粒体中细胞色素C的释放,可明显地抑制细胞凋亡。由于在大规模的细胞培养过程中,细胞的死亡以凋亡为主,所以可通过建立稳定过表达Bcl-2蛋白的重组细胞株,以抑制细胞的凋亡。同时,Bcl-2蛋白的变化不但可预见肿瘤的发生,而且通过药物降低Bcl-2的含量对于肿瘤的治疗也具有积极的意义。本文综述了Bcl-2蛋白的结构、功能、抗凋亡作用的机理,以及目前在生物制药和临床方面的应用和前景。     

Mcl-1 determines the Bax dependency of Nbk/Bik-induced apoptosis

B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) homology domain 3 (BH3)–only proteins of the Bcl-2 family are important functional adaptors that link cell death signals to the activation of Bax and/or Bak. The BH3-only protein Nbk/Bik induces cell death via an entirely Bax-dependent/Bak-independent mechanism. In contrast, cell death induced by the short splice variant of Bcl-x depends on Bak but not Bax. This indicates that Bak is functional but fails to become activated by Nbk. Here, we show that binding of myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1) to Bak persists after Nbk expression and inhibits Nbk-induced apoptosis in Bax-deficient cells. In contrast, the BH3-only protein Puma disrupts Mcl-1–Bak interaction and triggers cell death via both Bax and Bak. Targeted knockdown of Mcl-1 overcomes inhibition of Bak and allows for Bak activation by Nbk. Thus, Nbk is held in check by Mcl-1 that interferes with activation of Bak. The finding that different BH3-only proteins rely specifically on Bax, Bak, or both has important implications for the design of anticancer drugs targeting Bcl-2.     

A survey of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 subfamily expression in cancer types provides a platform to predict the efficacy of Bcl-2 antagonists in cancer therapy

We investigated the mRNA expression levels of all six antiapoptotic Bcl-2 subfamily members in 68 human cancer cell lines using qPCR techniques and measured the ability of known Bcl-2 inhibitors to induce cell death in 36 of the studied tumor cell lines. Our study reveals that Mcl-1 represents the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 subfamily member with the highest mRNA levels in the lung, prostate, breast, ovarian, renal, and glioma cancer cell lines. In leukemia/lymphoma and melanoma cancer cell lines, Bcl-2 and Bfl-1 had the highest levels of mRNA, respectively. The observed correlation between the cell killing properties of known Bcl-2 inhibitors and the relative mRNA expression levels of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins provide critical insights into apoptosis-based anticancer strategies that target Bcl-2 proteins. Our data may explain current challenges of selective Bcl-2 inhibitors in the clinic, given that severe expression of Bcl-2 seems to be limited to leukemia cell lines. Furthermore, our data suggest that in most cancer types a strategy targeted to Mcl-1 inhibition, or combination of Bfl-1 and Mcl-1 inhibition for melanoma, may prove to be more successful than therapies targeting only Bcl-2.     

Hsp90 inhibitor 17-AAG sensitizes Bcl-2 inhibitor (-)-gossypol by suppressing ERK-mediated protective autophagy and Mcl-1 accumulation in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Natural BH3-memitic (-)-gossypol shows promising antitumor efficacy in several kinds of cancer. However, our previous studies have demonstrated that protective autophagy decreases the drug sensitivities of Bcl-2 inhibitors in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. In the present study, we are the first to report that Hsp90 inhibitor 17-AAG enhanced (-)-gossypol-induced apoptosis via suppressing (-)-gossypol-triggered protective autophagy and Mcl-1 accumulation. The suppression effect of 17-AAG on autophagy was mediated by inhibiting ERK-mediated Bcl-2 phosphorylation while was not related to Beclin1 or LC3 protein instability. Meanwhile, 17-AAG downregulated (-)-gossypol-triggered Mcl-1 accumulation by suppressing Mcl-1^Thr163 phosphorylation and promoting protein degradation. Collectively, our study indicates that Hsp90 plays an important role in tumor maintenance and inhibition of Hsp90 may become a new strategy for sensitizing Bcl-2-targeted chemotherapies in HCC cells.     

The Stress Protein BAG3 Stabilizes Mcl-1 Protein and Promotes Survival of Cancer Cells and Resistance to Antagonist ABT-737

Members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins are important inhibitors of apoptosis in human cancer and are targets for novel anticancer agents such as the Bcl-2 antagonists, ABT-263 (Navitoclax), and its analog ABT-737. Unlike Bcl-2, Mcl-1 is not antagonized by ABT-263 or ABT-737 and is considered to be a major factor in resistance. Also, Mcl-1 exhibits differential regulation when compared with other Bcl-2 family members and is a target for anticancer drug discovery. Here, we demonstrate that BAG3, an Hsp70 co-chaperone, protects Mcl-1 from proteasomal degradation, thereby promoting its antiapoptotic activity. Using neuroblastoma cell lines, with a defined Bcl-2 family dependence, we found that BAG3 expression correlated with Mcl-1 dependence and ABT-737 resistance. RNA silencing of BAG3 led to a marked reduction in Mcl-1 protein levels and overcame ABT-737 resistance in Mcl-1-dependent cells. In ABT-737-resistant cells, Mcl-1 co-immunoprecipitated with BAG3, and loss of Mcl-1 after BAG3 silencing was prevented by proteasome inhibition. BAG3 and Mcl-1 were co-expressed in a panel of diverse cancer cell lines resistant to ABT-737. Silencing BAG3 reduced Mcl-1 protein levels and overcame ABT-737 resistance in several of the cell lines, including triple-negative breast cancer (MDA-MB231) and androgen receptor-negative prostate cancer (PC3) cells. These studies identify BAG3-mediated Mcl-1 stabilization as a potential target for cancer drug discovery.     

Discovery of novel biaryl sulfonamide based Mcl-1 inhibitors

Mcl-1 is an anti-apoptotic protein overexpressed in hematological malignancies and several human solid tumors. Small molecule inhibition of Mcl-1 would offer an effective therapy to Mcl-1 mediated resistance. Subsequently, it has been the target of extensive research in the pharmaceutical industry. The discovery of a novel class of Mcl-1 small molecule inhibitors is described beginning with a simple biaryl sulfonamide hit derived from a high through put screen. A medicinal chemistry effort aided by SBDD generated compounds capable of disrupting the Mcl-1/Bid protein-protein interaction in vitro. The crystal structure of the Mcl-1 bound ligand represents a unique binding mode to the BH3 binding pocket where binding affinity is achieved, in part, through a sulfonamide oxygen/Arg263 interaction. The work highlights the some of the key challenges in designing effective protein-protein inhibitors for the Bcl-2 class of proteins.     

Mcl-1 antagonizes Bax/Bak to promote effector CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses

Members of the Bcl-2 family have critical roles in regulating tissue homeostasis by modulating apoptosis. Anti-apoptotic molecules physically interact and restrain pro-apoptotic family members preventing the induction of cell death. However, the specificity of the functional interactions between pro- and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members remains unclear. The pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member Bcl-2 interacting mediator of death (Bim) has a critical role in promoting the death of activated, effector T cells following viral infections. Although Bcl-2 is an important Bim antagonist in effector T cells, and Bcl-xL is not required for effector T-cell survival, the roles of other anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members remain unclear. Here, we investigated the role of myeloid cell leukemia sequence 1 (Mcl-1) in regulating effector T-cell responses in vivo. We found, at the peak of the response to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection, that Mcl-1 expression was increased in activated CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells. Retroviral overexpression of Mcl-1-protected activated T cells from death, whereas deletion of Mcl-1 during the course of infection led to a massive loss of LCMV-specific CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells. Interestingly, the co-deletion of Bim failed to prevent the loss of Mcl-1-deficient T cells. Furthermore, lck-driven overexpression of a Bcl-xL transgene only partially rescued Mcl-1-deficient effector T cells suggesting a lack of redundancy between the family members. In contrast, additional loss of Bax and Bak completely rescued Mcl-1-deficient effector T-cell number and function, without enhancing T-cell proliferation. These data suggest that Mcl-1 is critical for promoting effector T-cell responses, but does so by combating pro-apoptotic molecules beyond Bim.     

Hydroxyquinoline-derived compounds and analoguing of selective Mcl-1 inhibitors using a functional biomarker

Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins are important oncology therapeutic targets. To date, BH3 mimetics that abrogate anti-apoptotic activity have largely been directed at Bcl-2 and/or Bcl-xL. One observed mechanism of resistance to these inhibitors is increased Mcl-1 levels in cells exposed to such therapeutics. For this reason, and because Mcl-1 is important in the onset of lymphoid, myeloid, and other cancers, it has become a target of great interest. However, small molecule inhibitors displaying potency and selectivity for Mcl-1 are lacking. Identifying such compounds has been challenging due to difficulties in translating the target selectivity observed at the biochemical level to the cellular level. Herein we report the results of an HTS strategy coupled with directed hit optimization. Compounds identified have selective Mcl-1 inhibitory activity with greater than 100-fold reduced affinity for Bcl-xL. The selectivity of these compounds at the cellular level was validated using BH3 profiling, a novel personalized diagnostic approach. This assay provides an important functional biomarker that allows for the characterization of cells based upon their dependencies on various anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins. We demonstrate that cells dependent on Mcl-1 or Bcl-2/Bcl-xL for survival are commensurately responsive to compounds that genuinely target those proteins. The identification of compound 9 with uniquely validated and selective Mcl-1 inhibitory activity provides a valuable tool to those studying the intrinsic apoptosis pathway and highlights an important approach in the development of a first-in-class cancer therapeutic.     

Critical role of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein phosphorylation in mitotic death

Microtubule inhibiting agents (MIAs) characteristically induce phosphorylation of the major anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members Mcl-1, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, and although this leads to Mcl-1 degradation, the role of Bcl-2/Bcl-xL phosphorylation in mitotic death has remained controversial. This is in part due to variation in MIA sensitivity among cancer cell lines, the dependency of cell fate on drug concentration and uncertainty about the modes of cell death occurring, thus making comparisons of published reports difficult. To circumvent problems associated with MIAs, we used siRNA knockdown of the anaphase-promoting complex activator, Cdc20, as a defined molecular system to investigate the role, specifically in mitotic death, of individual anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins and their phosphorylated forms. We show that Cdc20 knockdown in HeLa cells induces mitotic arrest and subsequent mitotic death. Knockdown of Cdc20 in HeLa cells stably overexpressing untagged wild-type Bcl-2, Bcl-xL or Mcl-1 promoted phosphorylation of the overexpressed proteins in parallel with their endogenous counterparts. Overexpression of Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL blocked mitotic death induced by Cdc20 knockdown; phospho-defective mutants were more protective than wild-type proteins, and phospho-mimic Bcl-xL was unable to block mitotic death. Overexpressed Mcl-1 failed to protect from Cdc20 siRNA-mediated death, as the overexpressed protein was susceptible to degradation similar to endogenous Mcl-1. These results provide compelling evidence that phosphorylation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins has a critical role in regulation of mitotic death. These findings make an important contribution toward our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of action of MIAs, which is critical for their rational use clinically.     

Tankyrase 1 interacts with Mcl-1 proteins and inhibits their regulation of apoptosis

Mcl-1L (myeloid cell leukemia-1 long) is an antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family protein discovered as an early induction gene during leukemia cell differentiation. Previously, we identified Mcl-1S (short) as a short splicing variant of the Mcl-1 gene with proapoptotic activity. To identify Mcl-1-interacting proteins, we performed yeast two-hybrid screening and found cDNAs encoding tankyrase 1. This protein possesses poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity and presumably facilitates the turnover of substrates following ADP-ribosylation. In yeast and mammalian cells, tankyrase 1 interacts with both Mcl-1L and Mcl-1S, but does not bind to other Bcl-2 family proteins tested. Analysis of truncated tankyrase 1 mutants indicated that the first 10 ankyrin repeats are involved in interaction with Mcl-1. In the N terminus of Mcl-1, a stretch of 25 amino acids is sufficient for binding to tankyrase 1. Overexpression of tankyrase 1 antagonizes both Mcl-1L-mediated cell survival and Mcl-1S-induced cell death. Furthermore, coexpression of tankyrase 1 with Mcl-1L or Mcl-1S decreased the levels of Mcl-1 proteins. Although tankyrase 1 down-regulates Mcl-1 protein expression, no ADP-ribosylation of Mcl-1 was detected. In contrast, overexpression of Mcl-1 proteins suppressed the ADP-ribosylation of the telomeric repeat binding factor 1, another tankyrase 1-interacting protein. Thus, interaction of Mcl-1L and Mcl-1S with tankyrase 1 could serve as a unique mechanism to decrease the expression of these Bcl-2 family proteins, thereby leading to the modulation of the apoptosis pathway.     

Translation inhibitors induce cell death by multiple mechanisms and Mcl-1 reduction is only a minor contributor

There is significant interest in treating cancers by blocking protein synthesis, to which hematological malignancies seem particularly sensitive. The translation elongation inhibitor homoharringtonine (Omacetaxine mepesuccinate) is undergoing clinical trials for chronic myeloid leukemia, whereas the translation initiation inhibitor silvestrol has shown promise in mouse models of cancer. Precisely how these compounds induce cell death is unclear, but reduction in Mcl-1, a labile pro-survival Bcl-2 family member, has been proposed to constitute the critical event. Moreover, the contribution of translation inhibitors to neutropenia and lymphopenia has not been precisely defined. Herein, we demonstrate that primary B cells and neutrophils are highly sensitive to translation inhibitors, which trigger the Bax/Bak-mediated apoptotic pathway. However, contrary to expectations, reduction of Mcl-1 did not significantly enhance cytotoxicity of these compounds, suggesting that it does not have a principal role and cautions that strong correlations do not always signify causality. On the other hand, the killing of T lymphocytes was less dependent on Bax and Bak, indicating that translation inhibitors can also induce cell death via alternative mechanisms. Indeed, loss of clonogenic survival proved to be independent of the Bax/Bak-mediated apoptosis altogether. Our findings warn of potential toxicity as these translation inhibitors are cytotoxic to many differentiated non-cycling cells.