The farnesyltransferase inhibitor, FPT inhibitor III upregulates Bax and Bcl-xs expression and induces apoptosis in human ovarian cancer cells.

Deregulation in the ras oncogene is a common event in many types of human cancer. Our previous study clearly demonstrated that genetic alterations of ras oncogene are frequently found in human epithelial ovarian cancer. Recent reports have indicated that farnesyltransferase is involved in the regulation of post-translational modification and biological function of Ras proteins. Here, we report that a newly synthesized farnesyltransferase inhibitor, FPT inhibitor III, upregulates Bax and Bcl-xs expression and induces apoptosis in human ovarian cancer cells. This is a critical finding that farnesyltransferase inhibitors may directly activate apoptotic signaling pathways in cancer cells and may help to provide a new strategy in the treatment of human cancer.