{We have studied the effect of N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide on either malignant human leukaemia cells or normal cells and investigated its mechanism of action. We demonstrate that 4HPR induces reactive oxygen species increase on mitochondria at a target between mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I and II. Such oxidative stress causes cardiolipin peroxidation which in turn allows cytochrome c release to cytosol, caspase-3 activation and therefore apoptotic consumption. Moreover, this apoptotic pathway seems to be bcl-2/bax independent and count only on malignant cells but not normal nor activated lymphocytes.

Previously we found that terfenadine, an H1 histamine receptor antagonist, acts as a potent apoptosis inducer in melanoma cells through modulation of Ca2+ homeostasis. In this report, focusing our attention on the apoptotic mechanisms activated by terfenadine, we show that this drug can potentially activate distinct intrinsic signaling pathways depending on culture conditions. Serum-deprived conditions enhance the cytotoxic effect of terfenadine and caspase-4 and -2 are activated upstream of caspase-9. Moreover, although we found an increase in ROS levels, the apoptosis was ROS independent. Conversely, terfenadine treatment in complete medium induced ROS-dependent apoptosis. Caspase-4, -2, and -9 were simultaneously activated and p73 and Noxa induction were involved. ROS inhibition prevented p73 and Noxa expression but not p53 and p21 expression, suggesting a role for Noxa in p53-independent apoptosis in melanoma cells. Finally, we found that terfenadine induced autophagy, that can promote apoptosis. These findings demonstrate the great potential of terfenadine to kill melanoma cells through different cellular signaling pathways and could contribute to define new therapeutic strategies in melanoma.

Our data indicate for the first time that bexarotene exerts its effect in CTCL mainly by triggering the p53/p73-dependent cell cycle inhibition pathway, probably by upstream ATM activation. Therefore, bexarotene-modulated genes represent potential biomarkers to assess the response to treatment of patients with CTCL.

Associative memory is the main type of learning by which complex organisms endowed with evolved nervous systems respond efficiently to certain environmental stimuli. It has been found in different multicellular species, from cephalopods to humans, but never in individual cells. Here we describe a motility pattern consistent with associative conditioned behavior in the microorganism Amoeba proteus . We use a controlled direct-current electric field as the conditioned stimulus, and a specific chemotactic peptide as the unconditioned stimulus. The amoebae are capable of linking two independent past events, generating persistent locomotion movements that can prevail for 44 min on average. We confirm a similar behavior in a related species, Metamoeba leningradensis . Thus, our results indicate that unicellular organisms can modify their behavior during migration by associative conditioning.

Previously, we found that the H1 histamine receptor antagonist diphenhydramine induces apoptosis in human acute T-lymphocytic leukemia cells. Since histamine has been shown to act as a growth factor in malignant melanoma cells, we decided to evaluate the in vitro effect of diphenhydramine and other H1 histamine receptor antagonists, such as terfenadine, astemizol and triprolidine on four malignant human melanoma cell lines. These antagonists were found to induce apoptotic cell death in all four melanoma cell lines. Apoptosis was determined by assessment of phosphatidylserine exposure on the surface of the cells and nuclear fragmentation. Importantly, H1 antagonist treatments did not adversely affect the viability of human melanocytes and murine fibroblasts at the same doses and duration of exposure. Treatment of melanoma cells with terfenadine induced DNA damage and caspases 2, 3, 6, 8 and 9 activation. Furthermore, the general caspase inhibitor (z-VAD-FMK) and a selective inhibitor of caspase-2 (z-VDVAD-FMK) protected melanoma cells from terfenadine-induced apoptosis. In contrast, the caspase-8 inhibitor (z-IETD-FMK) was ineffective. In addition, we found that mitochondria are involved in TEF-induced apoptosis, characterized by the dissipation of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential, the release of cytochrome c into the cytosolic compartment and caspase-9 activation. On the basis of these results we conclude that H1 histamine receptor antagonists induce apoptosis in human melanoma cells but not in normal melanocytes and embryonic murine fibroblasts; this apoptosis appears to be caspase-2-dependent and involves the mitochondrial pathway. The present results may contribute to the elaboration of novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of malignant human melanoma.