Download Inhibition of SCLC Survival and Proliferation by Knockdown of the

CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
Restriction of Small Cell Lung Cancer Survival and Proliferation by Inhibition
of Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase IV
Rachel Cary*, Ben Willcut, and UmaSankar
Owensboro Cancer Research Program and James Graham Brown Cancer Center,
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, KY 40292.
Small Cell Lung Carcinoma (SCLC) is a rapidly progressing cancer of
neuroendocrine origin that accounts for about 13% of all diagnosed lung cancers. Left
untreated, the median survival rate after diagnosis is 2-4 months. Our previous findings
have shown that Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV) levels
are highly elevated in SCLCs.CaMKIV is a signaling molecule found in neural, endocrine,
and lymphatic cells that is involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis. Using aGFPlentivirus-mediated shRNA system to create CaMKIV-knockdown SCLCs, we
demonstrate the significance of CaMKIV in SCLC growth and survival.