ACA-28, an ERK MAPK Signaling Modulator, Exerts Anticancer Activity through ROS Induction in Melanoma and Pancreatic Cancer Cells.

The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) MAPK pathway is dysregulated in various human cancers and is considered an attractive therapeutic target for cancer. Therefore, several inhibitors of this pathway are being developed, and some are already used in the clinic. We have previously identified an anticancer compound, ACA-28, with a unique property to preferentially induce ERK-dependent apoptosis in melanoma cells.

ACA-28, an anticancer compound, induces Pap1 nuclear accumulation via ROS-dependent and -independent mechanisms in fission yeast.

The nucleocytoplasmic transport of proteins is an important mechanism to control cell fate. Pap1 is a fission yeast nucleocytoplasmic shuttling transcription factor of which localization is redox regulated. The nuclear export factor Crm1/exportin negatively regulates Pap1 by exporting it from the nucleus to the cytoplasm.

ACAGT-007a, an anti-cancer compound that modulates ERK MAPK signaling, induces nuclear enrichment of phosphorylated ERK in T3M4 pancreatic cancer cells.

The extracellular-signal-regulated-kinase (ERK) signaling pathway is essential for cell proliferation and is frequently deregulated in human tumors such as pancreatic cancers. ACAGT-007a (GT-7), an anti-cancer compound, stimulates ERK phosphorylation, thereby inducing growth inhibition and apoptosis in T3M4 pancreatic cancer cells. However, how GT-7 stimulates ERK phosphorylation and induces apoptosis in ERK-active T3M4 cells remains unclear.

ACAGT-007a, an ERK MAPK Signaling Modulator, in Combination with AKT Signaling Inhibition Induces Apoptosis in KRAS Mutant Pancreatic Cancer T3M4 and MIA-Pa-Ca-2 Cells.

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/ERK and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathways are dysregulated in various human cancers, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which has a very poor prognosis due to its lack of efficient therapies. We have previously identified ACAGT-007a (GT-7), an anti-cancer compound that kills ERK-active melanoma cells by inducing ERK-dependent apoptosis. Here, we investigated the apoptosis-inducing effect of GT-7 on three PDAC cell lines and its relevance with the MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.