Negar Taghavi Pourianazar
Middle East Technical University, Turkey
Title: Molecular Profile of the Apoptosis-Related Genes in Breast Cancer Cells after Treatment with CpG-Oligodeoxynucleotides Delivered by PAMAM-Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles
Biography
Biography: Negar Taghavi Pourianazar
Abstract
CpG-oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG-ODN) is a potent stimulator of immune responses through triggering of a specific receptor called Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9). In humans, TLR9 is expressed in numerous cells of the immune system and also in cancer cells. Our previous study indicated that activating of TLR9 by CpG-ODNs can generate a signal cascade for apoptosis in breast cancer cells. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of CpG-ODN on the expression of the apoptosis-related genes in three different breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB231, SKBR3, and MCF7. The expression profile of various apoptosis-related genes, Bax, Noxa, Bcl-2, Survivin, PUMA, and C-Flip, was studied and compared between untreated and CpG-loaded DcMNP-treated breast cancer cell lines. In evaluation of expression analysis of Bcl-2 and Bax, ratio of pro-apoptotic Bax to anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 expression was considered as an apoptotic parameter. Bcl-2/Bax ratio increased with CpG-loaded DcMNPs stimulation at the mRNA level in MDA-MB231 cells. Furthermore, a significant enhance in the amount of Noxa mRNA expression has detected in treated MDA-MB231 and MCF7 cells which may contribute to apoptosis in these cell lines. The expression levels of C-Flip and Survivin mRNA were decreased significantly in treated SKBR3 and MDA-MB231 cells, respectively. In conclusion, the mechanism might be that CpG-ODN stimulates cell apoptosis through regulating the expression of apoptosis-related genes. DcMNPs is a targetable efficient delivery system for CpG-ODN which could be considered as a therapeutic agent in breast cancer.