ABSTRACT
Purpose@#Osteosarcoma (OS) universally exhibits heterogeneity and cisplatin (CDDP) resistance. Although the Wee1/CDC2 and nuclear factor кB (NF-κB) pathways were reported to show abnormal activation in some tumor cells with CDDP resistance, whether there is any concrete connection is currently unclear. We explored it in human OS cells. @*Materials and Methods@#Multiple OS cell lines were exposed to a Wee1 inhibitor (AZD1775) and CDDP to assess the half-maximal inhibitory concentration values. Western blot, coimmunoprecipitation, confocal immunofluorescence, cell cycle, and Cell Counting Kit-8assays were performed to explore the connection between the Wee1/CDC2 and NF-κB pathways and their subsequent physiological contribution to CDDP resistance. Finally, CDDP-resistant PDX-OS xenograft models were established to confirm that AZD1775 restores the antitumor effects of CDDP. @*Results@#A sensitivity hierarchy of OS cells to CDDP and AZD1775 exists. In the highly CDDP-tolerant cell lines, Wee1 and RelA were physically crosslinked, which resulted in increased abundance of phosphorylated CDC2 (Y15) and RelA (S536) and consequent modulation of cell cycle progression, survival, and proliferation. Wee1 inhibition restored the effects of CDDP on these processes in CDDP-resistant OS cells. In addition, animal experiments with CDDP-resistant PDX-OS cells showed that AZD1775 combined with CDDP not only restored CDDP efficacy but also amplified AZD1775 in inhibiting tumor growth and prolonged the median survival of the mice. @*Conclusion@#Simultaneous enrichment of molecules in the Wee1/CDC2 and NF-κB pathways and their consequent coactivation is a new molecular mechanism of CDDP resistance in OS cells. OS with this molecular signature may respond well to Wee1 inhibition as an alternative treatment strategy.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the role of homeobox gene A5 (HOXA5) in multidrug resistance of human small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cells and the possibility of using HOXA5 as the therapeutic targets for SCLC treatment.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We examined HOXA5 mRNA and protein expressions in chemosensitive human SCLC cells (H69) and the multidrug-resistant SCLC cells (H69AR) using quantitative real-time PCR and immunoblotting. HOXA5 expression was then enhanced or suppressed by transfection of the cells with HOXA5 expression plasmids or small interference RNA (siRNA), and the chemosensitivity of transfected cells to cisplatin (DDP) and etoposide (VP-16) was evaluated using cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>H69 cells showed a 8.99-fold higher expression of HOXA5 than H69AR cells. HOXA5 knockdown caused obvious reductions in the chemosensitivity of H69 cells to DDP and VP-16 with increased cells in G0/G1 phase; conversely, HOXA5 enhancement resulted in an increased sensitivity of H69AR cells to DDP and VP-16.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>HOXA5 may play an important role in multidrug resistance of SCLC and can be a potential therapeutic target in clinical treatment of SCLC.</p>