The
proteasome, a key component of the
ubiquitin-
proteasome pathway, has emerged as an important
cancer therapeutic target.
PS-341 (also called
Bortezomib or
Velcade) is the first
proteasome inhibitor approved for newly diagnosed and relapsed
multiple myeloma and is currently being tested in many clinical trials against other types of
cancers. One proposed mechanism by which
PS-341 exerts its anticancer effect is inactivation of
nuclear factor-kappaB (
NF-kappaB) through prevention of
IkappaB(alpha) degradation. In this study, we show that
PS-341 at concentrations that effectively inhibited the growth of human
cancer cells, instead of increasing
IkappaB(alpha) stability, paradoxically induced
IkappaB(alpha) degradation. As a result,
PS-341 facilitated p65 nuclear translocation and increased
NF-kappaB activity. Moreover,
IkappaB(alpha) degradation by
PS-341 occurred early before induction of apoptosis and could not be inhibited by a pan-
caspase inhibitor or
caspase-8 silencing; however, it could be prevented with
calpain inhibitors,
calcium-chelating agents,
calpain knockdown, or
calpastatin overexpression. In agreement,
PS-341 increased
calpain activity. These data together indicate that
PS-341 induces a
calpain-mediated
IkappaB(alpha) degradation independent of
caspases. In the presence of a
calpain inhibitor, the apoptosis-inducing activity of
PS-341 was dramatically enhanced. Collectively, these unexpected findings suggest not only a novel paradigm regarding the relationship between
proteasome inhibition and
NF-kappaB activity but also a strategy to enhance the anticancer efficacy of
PS-341.