Evidence of natural transcriptome regulation by cinnamon extract identified by changes in Akt1 mRNA levels of MCF‐7 breast cancer cells

Abstract

Research in recent years has focused heavily on different tumorigenesis mechanisms. One such mechanism is the anti‐apoptotic effects regulated by varying Akt isoforms. Akt1 signaling can result in nuclear exclusion and subsequent cytosolic degradation of key transcription factors. It is proposed that transcriptional regulation of Akt1 offers potential benefits for both preventative and adjunct therapy for cancer treatment. Many natural products including cinnamon contain high amounts of polyphenolic compounds that have been shown to regulate both signaling proteins as well as key transcription factors. Previous research in the lab has suggested that cinnamon extract treatment of MCF7 breast cancer cells leads to epigenetic changes, specifically methylation patterns. Preliminary experiments demonstrate potential methylation changes at the Akt1 gene that alter expression. Real‐time PCR was used to evaluate the expression levels in MCF7 breast cancer cells under cinnamon treatment conditions and vehicle. Duplicate cell sets were grown to allow separate isolation of both DNA and RNA. Cells were grown to 70–80% confluence and treated with either cinnamon extract or vehicle for 24 hours. Cells were collected at the 24 hour time point by trypsin release and stored at −80 degrees C until use. Analysis of mRNA levels of Akt1 suggest a change in Akt1 expression level that is proposed to result from changes in methylation. In order to better substantiate the potential change in Akt1 methylation, MethylLight ® was completed with Akt1 specific primers and results were compared to the observed mRNA levels. Further research will allow comparison of Akt1 location under these conditions as well as Akt1 activity.Support or Funding InformationDepartments of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences and Biological and Allied Health Sciences, Ohio Northern UniversityThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.