Taxol is the best anticancer agent that has ever been isolated from plants, but its major disadvantage is its dose-limiting toxicity. In this study, we report with mechanism-based evidence that curcumin, a nontoxic food additive commonly used by the Indian population, sensitizes tumor cells more efficiently to the therapeutic effect of Taxol

The cytosolic chaperone Hsp72 directly modulates stress sensing in response to the accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum and promotes cell survival.

Activation of the unfolded protein response sensor PKR-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (Perk) attenuates endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress levels. Conversantly, if the damage is too severe and ER function cannot be restored, this signaling branch triggers apoptosis. Bcl-2 homology 3-only family member Bim is essential for ER stress-induced apoptosis. However, the regulatory mechanisms controlling Bim activation under ER stress conditions are not well understood. Here, we show that downregulation of the miR-106b-25 cluster contributes to ER stress-induced apoptosis and the upregulation of Bim. Hypericin-mediated photo-oxidative ER damage induced Perk-dependent cell death and led to a significant decrease in the levels of miRNAs belonging to miR-106b-25 cluster in wild-type (WT) but not in Perk−/− MEFs. Further, we show that expression of miR-106b-25 and Mcm-7 (host gene of miR-106b-25) is co-regulated through the transcription factors Atf4 (activating transcription factor 4) and Nrf2 (nuclear factor-erythroid-2-related factor 2). ER stress increased the activity of WT Bim 3′UTR (untranslated region) construct but not the miR-106b-25 recognition site-mutated Bim 3′UTR construct. Overexpression of miR-106b-25 cluster inhibits ER stress-induced cell death in WT but did not confer any further protection in Bim-knockdown cells. Further, we show downregulation in the levels of miR-106b-25 cluster in the symptomatic SOD1G86R transgenic mice. Our results suggest a molecular mechanism whereby repression of miR-106b-25 cluster has an important role in ER stress-mediated increase in Bim and apoptosis.

Graft versus host disease (GvHD), which is the primary complication of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, can alter the intestinal barrier targeted by activated donor T-cells. Chemical inhibition of the stress protein HSP90 was demonstrated in vitro to inhibit T-cell activation and to modulate endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress to which intestinal cells are highly susceptible. Since the HSP90 inhibitor 17-allylamino-demethoxygeldanamycin (17AAG) is developed in clinics, we explored here its ability to control intestinal acute GvHD in vivo in two mouse GvHD models (C57BL/6BALB/c and FVB/NLgr5-eGFP), ex vivo in intestine organoids and in vitro in intestinal epithelial cultures. We show that 17AAG decreases GvHD-associated mortality without impairing graft versus leukemia effect. While 17AAG effect in T-cell activation is just moderate at the dose used in vivo, we observe a striking intestinal integrity protection. At the intestine level, the drug promotes the splicing of the transcription factor X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1), which is a key component of the ER stress. This effect is associated with a decrease in intestinal damage and an increase in Lgr5(+) stem cells, Paneth cells and defensins production. The importance of XBP1 splicing control is further confirmed in cultured cells and organoids of primary intestinal epithelium where XBP1 is either shRNA depleted or inhibited with toyocamycin. In conclusion, 17AAG has a protective effect on the epithelial intestinal barrier in mouse models of acute GvHD. This compound deserves to be tested in the therapeutic control of acute GvHD.