Anti-cancer activity of AK-0 through cyclin D1 proteasomal degradation GSK3β-dependent phosphorylation of threonine-286.

Microorganisms have been regarded as important sources of novel bioactive natural products. In this study, we evaluated the anti-cancer activity and the potential mechanism of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens AK-0 newly isolated from the rhizosphere soil of Korean ginseng. The ethyl acetate fraction from the culture medium of B. amyloliquefaciens AK-0 (EA-AK0) inhibited markedly the proliferation of human colorectal cancer cells such as HCT116, SW480, LoVo and HT-29. EA-AK0 effectively decreased cyclin D1 protein level in human colorectal cancer cells, while cyclin D1 mRNA level was not changed by EA-AK0 treatment. Inhibition of proteasomal degradation by MG132 blocked EA-AK0-mediated cyclin D1 downregulation and the half-life of cyclin D1 was decreased in the cells treated with MRB. In addition, EA-AK0 increased threonine-286 (T286) phosphorylation of cyclin D1, and a point mutation of T286 to alanine attenuated cyclin D1 degradation by EA-AK0. Inhibition of GSK3β by LiCl suppressed cyclin D1 phosphorylation and downregulation by EA-AKO. From these results, EA-AK0 may suppress the proliferation of human colorectal cancer cells by inducing cyclin D1 proteasomal degradation through GSK3β-dependent T286 phosphorylation. These results indicate that EA-AK0 could be used for treating colorectal cancer and serve as a potential candidate for anticancer drug development. In addition, these findings will be helpful for expanding the knowledge on the molecular anti-cancer mechanisms of EA-AK0.