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Diverse microtubule-targeted anticancer agents kill cells by inducing chromosome missegregation on multipolar spindles
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Diverse microtubule-targeted anticancer agents kill cells by inducing chromosome missegregation on multipolar spindles

Amber S Zhou, John B Tucker, Christina M Scribano, Andrew R Lynch, Caleb L Carlsen, Sophia T Pop-Vicas, Srishrika M Pattaswamy, Mark E Burkard and Beth A Weaver
PLoS biology, Vol.21(10), e3002339
10/26/2023
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002339
PMCID: PMC10602348
PMID: 37883329
url
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002339View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Microtubule-targeted agents are commonly used for cancer treatment, though many patients do not benefit. Microtubule-targeted drugs were assumed to elicit anticancer activity via mitotic arrest because they cause cell death following mitotic arrest in cell culture. However, we recently demonstrated that intratumoral paclitaxel concentrations are insufficient to induce mitotic arrest and rather induce chromosomal instability (CIN) via multipolar mitotic spindles. Here, we show in metastatic breast cancer and relevant human cellular models that this mechanism is conserved among clinically useful microtubule poisons. While multipolar divisions typically produce inviable progeny, multipolar spindles can be focused into near-normal bipolar spindles at any stage of mitosis. Using a novel method to quantify the rate of CIN, we demonstrate that cell death positively correlates with net loss of DNA. Spindle focusing decreases CIN and causes resistance to diverse microtubule poisons, which can be counteracted by addition of a drug that increases CIN without affecting spindle polarity. These results demonstrate conserved mechanisms of action and resistance for diverse microtubule-targeted agents. Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03393741.
Mitosis Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology Humans Kinetochores Microtubules - metabolism Poisons - metabolism Spindle Apparatus

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