Temporally designed treatment of melanoma cells by ATRA and polyI: C results in enhanced chemokine and IFNβ secretion controlled differently by TLR3 and MDA5

Melanoma Res. 2012 Oct;22(5):351-61. doi: 10.1097/CMR.0b013e328357076c.

Abstract

In the last three decades, the incidence of melanoma has increased worldwide and no effective treatment modalities have been developed yet. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (polyI:C) are strong inducers of toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) and MDA5 expression, and polyI:C-induced TLR3 and MDA5 signaling specifically causes cell death in melanoma cells in vitro. We addressed the question of whether ATRA pretreatment could enhance the efficacy of polyI:C and, if so, would ATRA have any additional effects on this process. We found that the combined treatment of human melanoma cells with ATRA and polyI:C strongly increased the expression of TLR3 and MDA5 in both WM35 and WM983A cells associated with significantly higher mRNA and secreted levels of interferon β (IFNβ), CXCL1, CXCL8/IL-8, CXCL9, and CXCL10 than cells treated with either ATRA or polyI:C. Silencing of MDA5 by siRNA moderately affected IFNβ secretion, whereas TLR3 knockdown interfered with both CXCL chemokine and IFNβ production. Furthermore, the supernatants of ATRA+polyI:C-activated cultures increased the migration of both human monocyte-derived macrophages and CD1a dendritic cells significantly as compared with the supernatants of cells treated with either ATRA or polyI:C, and this effect occurred in a TLR3-dependent manner. In conclusion, consecutive treatment with ATRA and polyI:C results in strong, TLR3/MDA5-mediated chemokine and IFN responses in cultured human melanoma cells, which triggers a functional migratory response in professional antigen-presenting cells. This novel mode of concomitant activation may represent a more efficient treatment option for future melanoma therapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / pharmacology*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Chemokines / genetics
  • Drug Synergism
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Humans
  • Interferon Inducers / pharmacology
  • Interferon-beta / genetics
  • Interferon-beta / metabolism*
  • Macrophages / metabolism
  • Melanoma / drug therapy*
  • Melanoma / genetics
  • Melanoma / metabolism
  • Poly I-C / administration & dosage
  • Poly I-C / pharmacology*
  • RNA, Small Interfering / administration & dosage
  • RNA, Small Interfering / genetics
  • Signal Transduction
  • Skin Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Skin Neoplasms / genetics
  • Skin Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Toll-Like Receptor 3 / genetics
  • Toll-Like Receptor 3 / metabolism*
  • Transcriptome
  • Tretinoin / administration & dosage
  • Tretinoin / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Chemokines
  • Interferon Inducers
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Toll-Like Receptor 3
  • Tretinoin
  • Interferon-beta
  • Poly I-C