Abstract
Quercetin, a flavonoid molecule ubiquitously present in nature, has multiple effects on cancer cells, including the inhibition of cell proliferation and migration. However, the responsible molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. We found that quercetin induces the expression of NAG-1 (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug activated gene-1), a TGF-β superfamily protein, during quercetin-induced apoptosis of HCT116 human colon carcinoma cells. Reporter assays using the luciferase constructs containing NAG-1 promoter region demonstrate that early growth response-1 (EGR-1) and p53 are required for quercetin-mediated activation of the NAG-1 promoter. Overexpression of NAG-1 enhanced the apoptotic effect of quercetin, but suppression of quercetin-induced NAG-1 expression by NAG-1 siRNA attenuated quercetin-induced apoptosis in HCT116 cells. Taken together, the present study demonstrates for the first time that quercetin induces apoptosis via NAG-1, providing a mechanistic basis for the apoptotic effect of quercetin in colon carcinoma cells.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 411-421 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Apoptosis |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 Feb |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Acknowledgments This work was supported by the Korea Science & Engineering Foundation (KOSEF) (R13-2002-028-03001-0), and KRF-2005-070-C00100 from Korea Research Foundation
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Pharmacology
- Pharmaceutical Science
- Clinical Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry, medical
- Cancer Research
