17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin enhances the cytotoxicity of tumor cells irradiated with carbon ions

Noguchi, Miho; Hirayama, Ryoichi*; Okayasu, Ryuichi*

We investigated radiosensitization effect and its mechanism of Hsp90 inhibitor 17-AAG in human tumor cell lines irradiated with high LET carbon ions. Human tumor cell lines, DU145 derived from prostate carcinoma and normal human fibroblasts HFL III were incubated for 24 h in the presence of 17-AAG at concentration of 100nM. The cells were then irradiated with carbon ions (290MeV/nucleon, LET70keV/um) and several biological endpoints were compared. Cellular radiation sensitivity was determined by clonogenic assay and DNA double strand break (DSB) repair kinetics were examined by constant field gel electrophoresis. DU145 cells showed an increase in carbon ions-induced cell death when pre-treated with 17-AAG. The radiosensitivity enhancement ratios measured at a survival rate of 10% were 2.13 for DU145 cells. In contrast to the tumor cell lines, normal human fibroblasts with carbon irradiation showed no radiosensitization with 17-AAG pre-treatment. Our constant field gel electrophoresis studies indicated that 17-AAG had almost no effect on carbon ion-induced DSB repair in DU145 cells. On the other hand, radiation induced Rad51 foci formation showed different kinetics between the carbon ion alone and the combined treatment with 17-AAG and carbon ions in DU145 cells. Our findings suggest that mechanisms other than inhibition of DSB repair could be involved with the radiosensitization by 17-AAG in tumor cells irradiated with carbon ions. However, limited inhibition of homologous recombination by this agent may still be a possibility.