Homomeric or heteromeric connexin (Cx) hemichannels-composed gap junction (GJ) intercellular channel can mediate direct cell-to-cell communication. Accumulating studies indicate that GJs potentiate the cytotoxicity of antitumor drugs in malignant cells. Methylselenocysteine (MSC), a selenium compound from garlic, has been reported to modulate the activity of antineoplastic drugs, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study investigates the efficacy of MSC on chemotherapeutic drugs-induced cytotoxicity and the relationship between this effect and the regulation of GJ function by MSC. Firstly, a doxycycline-regulated HeLa cell line expressing heteromeric Cx26/Cx32 was used as a tool. Etoposide, but not cisplatin or 5-fluorouracil, showed remarkable cytotoxicity in high-density (with GJ formation) cultures than in low-density (without GJ formation) in transformed HeLa cells. And cell density had no effect on etoposide-mediated cytotoxicity in the absence of Cx expression. MSC substantially enhanced etoposide-induced cytotoxicity, and this effect was only detected in the presence of functional GJs. Subsequently, MSC potentiated structural Cx expression as evidenced by increased dye coupling, but no alteration in Cx mRNA expression level in either transformed or primary cancer cell lines. Finally, a redox mechanism involving glutathione (GSH) was found to be related to the posttranscriptional modulation of Cx expression by MSC in HeLa cells. In conclusion, we provide the novel finding that MSC increases etoposide-mediated cytotoxicity by enhancing GJ activity, due to elevated Cx expression through a GSH-dependent posttranscriptional mechanism. More generally, the study highlights potential benefit of the combination of GJ modulators and chemotherapeutic agents in anticancer treatment.
Keywords: chemomodulatory effect; etoposide; gap junction; methylselenocysteine; posttranscriptional modification.