Salinomycin triggers endoplasmic reticulum stress through ATP2A3 upregulation in PC-3 cells

BACKGROUND: Salinomycin is a monocarboxylic polyether antibiotic and is a potential chemotherapy drug. Our previous studies showed that salinomycin inhibited cell growth and targeted CSCs in prostate cancer. However, the precise target of salinomycin action is unclear. METHODS: In this work, we analyzed and identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) after treatment with or without salinomycin using a gene expression microarray in vitro (PC-3 cells) and in vivo (NOD/SCID mice xenograft model generated from implanted PC-3 cells). Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining were used to analyze the expression of ATP2A3 and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress biomarkers. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the cell cycle, apoptosis and intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. RESULTS: A significantly upregulated gene, ATPase sarcoplasmatic/endoplasmatic reticulum Ca(2+) transporting 3 (ATP2A3), was successfully identified. In subsequent studies, we found that ATP2A3 overexpression could trigger ER stress and exert anti-cancer effects in PC-3 and DU145 cells. ATP2A3 was slightly expressed, but the ER stress biomarkers showed strong staining in prostate cancer tissues. We also found that salinomycin could trigger ER stress, which might be related to ATP2A3-mediated Ca(2+) release in PC-3 cells. Furthermore, we found that salinomycin-triggered ER stress could promote apoptosis and thus exert anti-cancer effects in prostate cancer cells. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that ATP2A3 might be one of the potential targets for salinomycin, which can inhibit Ca(2+) release and trigger ER stress to exert anti-cancer effects.