Does taxol-induced mitotic block trigger rapid onset of a p53-independent apoptotic pathway?
Taxol induces two forms of cell cycle arrest, which in turn induce two independent apoptotic pathways. Arrest in prophase induces rapid onset of a p53-independent pathway, whereas G1-block and the resulting slow (3-5 days) apoptotic pathway are p53 dependent.
Our findings define a key role for ERG/SOX4 in the development of a subset of PCa and highlight the clinical importance of identifying molecularly defined tumor subgroups.