Unraveling GSK-3: A Potential Target in Lung Cancer Cells
Abstract
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among both men and women in the United States. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common form of lung cancer, accounting for 80-85% of all lung cancers. Although treatment options, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery, are being used to treat lung cancer patients, the 5-year survival rates in advanced stages of the cancer remains less than 15%. Therefore, there is an increasing need for new potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers in NSCLC cells. GSK-3, a regulatory protein kinase, functions to characterize many behaviors in cancer cells. GSK-3 modulates cellular responses such as cell proliferation, which can potentially depict the mitochondria’s role in apoptosis and the role of caspase 3 and 7, reveal potential autophagy, as well as indicate reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated damage. This study aims to unravel the role of GSK-3 as potential targets facilitating apoptosis, leading to mitochondrial damage, especially in the wild type non-small cell lung cancer line, H1975, and the mutant non-small cell lung cancer line, H460. MTT Assay was performed with the GSK-3 inhibitor: BIO, over a period of 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours. The results showed that as the concentrations of this GSK-3 inhibitor increased, the cell viability of both the H460 and the H1975 cells decreased significantly. The role of GSK-3 will be further investigated through western blot analysis and fluorescent microscopy. (This project was supported by The Royal Dames of Cancer Research Inc., Ft. Lauderdale, Florida).
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Theodore Mathuram, Dr. Thiagarajan Venkatesan, Dr. Mir Saleem, Dr. Robert Smith, Dr. Appu Rathinavelu
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Shermany Library
Start Date
4-5-2019 1:00 PM
End Date
4-5-2019 5:00 PM
Unraveling GSK-3: A Potential Target in Lung Cancer Cells
Alvin Shermany Library
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among both men and women in the United States. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common form of lung cancer, accounting for 80-85% of all lung cancers. Although treatment options, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery, are being used to treat lung cancer patients, the 5-year survival rates in advanced stages of the cancer remains less than 15%. Therefore, there is an increasing need for new potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers in NSCLC cells. GSK-3, a regulatory protein kinase, functions to characterize many behaviors in cancer cells. GSK-3 modulates cellular responses such as cell proliferation, which can potentially depict the mitochondria’s role in apoptosis and the role of caspase 3 and 7, reveal potential autophagy, as well as indicate reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated damage. This study aims to unravel the role of GSK-3 as potential targets facilitating apoptosis, leading to mitochondrial damage, especially in the wild type non-small cell lung cancer line, H1975, and the mutant non-small cell lung cancer line, H460. MTT Assay was performed with the GSK-3 inhibitor: BIO, over a period of 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours. The results showed that as the concentrations of this GSK-3 inhibitor increased, the cell viability of both the H460 and the H1975 cells decreased significantly. The role of GSK-3 will be further investigated through western blot analysis and fluorescent microscopy. (This project was supported by The Royal Dames of Cancer Research Inc., Ft. Lauderdale, Florida).
