Open AccessRole of HSP27 in the multidrug sensitivity and resistance of colon cancer cells
Author(s) -
Zhengyong Liu,
Yi Liu,
Yupeng Long,
Baohua Liu,
Xiangfeng Wang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
oncology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.766
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1792-1082
pISSN - 1792-1074
DOI - 10.3892/ol.2020.11255
Subject(s) - multiple drug resistance , oncogene , molecular medicine , cancer , cell cycle , colorectal cancer , medicine , cancer research , biology , oncology , drug resistance , microbiology and biotechnology
Multidrug resistance in cancer cells is a primary factor affecting therapeutic efficacy. Heat shock 27 kD protein 1 (HSP27) is associated with cell apoptosis and resistance to chemotherapy. However, the mechanisms underlying HSP27-associated pathways in colon cancer cells remain unclear. Therefore, the present study used short hairpin (sh) RNA to inhibit HSP27 expression in colon cancer cells in order to investigate the effects in vitro and in vivo . Flow cytometry was used to investigate cell apoptosis and a xenograft model was employed to examine the tumorigenesis. Protein expression was measured by Western blotting. The results revealed that suppression of HSP27 expression significantly increased cell apoptosis, inhibited tumor growth and enhanced sensitivity to the anti-cancer agents 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and vincristine (VCR). shHSP27 significantly decreased the expression of notch receptor 1 and the phosphorylation level of Akt and mTOR, and enhanced the effect of 5-FU and VCR. In conclusion, HSP27 suppression enhanced the sensitivity of colon cancer cells to 5-FU and VCR, and increased colon cancer cell apoptosis with and without chemotherapy. Therefore, the development of novel therapeutic agents that inhibit the expression of HSP27 may offer a new treatment option for colon cancer.