MiR-126增加非小细胞肺癌细胞A549对顺式铂氨的敏感性

miR-126在多种恶性肿瘤中存在表达下调并显示抑癌基因的功能,然而其在肿瘤敏感性中的作用仍不明确.为了探讨miR-126在非小细胞肺癌细胞A549对顺式铂氨(cis-diammine dichloroplatoum,cisplatin,CDDP)敏感性中的作用及可能机制,本研究用MTS法检测非小细胞肺癌细胞A549及其衍生的CDDP耐受细胞A549/DDP对CDDP的敏感性.结果表明,A549/DDP细胞对CDDP的耐受性是A549细胞的4.05倍(P=0.0078);用qRT-PCR检测发现,相比于A549细胞,A549/DDP细胞中miR-126的表达下调了8.45倍(P=0.0063),而survivin和Bcl-2的表达明显上调;通过MTS、qRT-PCR及Western印迹实验发现,miR-126 mimics使A549/DDP细胞中miR-126的表达上调了12.63倍(P=0.0013),并明显增加A549/DDP细胞对CDDP的敏感性及下调survivin和Bcl-2的表达;相反,miR-126 inhibitor能明显增加A549细胞对CDDP的耐受性及增加survivin和Bcl-2的表达.本研究结果提示,miR-126在非小细胞肺癌CDDP耐受细胞中的表达下调,上调miR-126的表达能增加耐药细胞对CDDP的敏感性.miR-126是逆转肺癌CDDP耐受的可能潜在靶标.     

人参皂苷Rh2对肺癌A549细胞miR-16和Bcl-2表达与生长的影响研究

目的探讨人参皂苷Rh2(G-Rh2)诱导人肺癌细胞A549凋亡作用及机制研究。方法采用2.5、5.0、10.0、20.0、40.0μmol/L的G-Rh2处理A549细胞,MTT法于不同时间点测定G-Rh2对A549的生长抑制作用;倒置显微镜观察G-Rh2对A549细胞作用后的形态改变;Annexin-FITC/PI双染法检测细胞凋亡情况;Real-time PCR和Western-blot法分别检测G-Rh2对A549细胞中miR-16和Bcl-2蛋白表达的影响。结果与阴性对照组相比,不同浓度G-Rh2能够抑制A549肺癌细胞增殖并呈时间-浓度依赖性;GRh2作用后,A549细胞凋亡率明显增加,miR-16的表达显著增加,而Bcl-2蛋白表达显著降低。结论G-Rh2能够显著抑制A549肺癌细胞增殖并通过上调miRNA-16,下调Bcl-2的表达发挥治疗肺癌的作用。     

miR-17-92对急性白血病L1210/DDP细胞多药耐药性影响研究

目的:研究miR-17-92在白血病L1210/DDP细胞多药耐药形成中的作用.方法:首先构建L1210/DDP耐药细胞系,运用real-time PCR方法检测miR-17-92在L1210/DDP细胞与L1210细胞中的表达差异.利用脂质体Lipofectamine 2000将miR-17-92抑制物(miR-17-92sponge)及阴性对照(sponge vector)转染L1210/DDP细胞,构建miR-17-92表达下调的L1210/DDP细胞系.用MTS法检测转染后耐药细胞对顺铂和阿霉素体外药物敏感性.结果:miRNA-17-92在L1210/DDP耐药细胞系中高表达,上调倍数为(1.61±0.01)倍.体外药物敏感性实验表明,转染miR-17-92抑制物的实验组对顺铂和阿霉素的IC50分别为(3.29±0.51)、(1.35±0.13)g/ml,而转染阴性对照组对上述药物的IC50分别为(6.73± 0.82)、(2.66±0.42)g/ml,在耐药株中抑制miR-17-92在L1210/DDP细胞中的表达,显著增加细胞对顺铂和阿霉素的敏感性.结论:miR-17-92在白血病耐顺铂L1210/DDP细胞中高表达.抑制miR-17-92的表达可增加白血病L1210/DDP细胞对顺铂和阿霉素化疗药物的敏感性,部分逆转耐药.     

microRNA-3163靶向乳腺癌耐药蛋白逆转肺癌细胞多药耐药作用

目的:验证microRNA-3163(miR-3163)在肺癌细胞中是否靶向乳腺癌耐药蛋白(BCRP),探索逆转肺癌细胞抗肿瘤药物多药耐药(MDR)的干预策略。方法:检测BCRP在肺癌细胞A549和耐药细胞系A549/ADR中的表达,利用系列浓度梯度的抗肿瘤药物处理细胞,计算其作用的IC50值;在A549/ADR细胞中转染miR-3163的模拟物或抑制剂,用Western印迹检测BCRP的表达水平;在此基础上检测miR-3163对抗肿瘤药物杀伤A549/ADR细胞的影响。结果:与A549细胞相比,A549/ADR细胞具有对抗肿瘤药物的MDR特性,BCRP在A549/ADR细胞中的表达显著上调。转染miR-3163的模拟物能够上调A549/ADR细胞对抗肿瘤药物阿霉素、紫杉醇、吉西他滨和吉非替尼的敏感性,逆转其MDR作用。这些抗肿瘤药物作用的IC50值分别从4.86±0.33、0.41±0.05、3.79±0.26和5.51±0.25μmol/L下调至0.30±0.05、0.07±0.01、0.67±0.10和1.58±0.42μmol/L。特异性实验结果表明,miR-3163的模拟物能够在A549/ADR细胞中下调BCRP的表达水平,转染miR-3163的抑制剂能够阻断miR-3163模拟物的作用。结论:miR-3163有可能通过靶向耐药蛋白BCRP逆转肺癌细胞的MDR作用。     

miR-29a靶向调控PDGFB促进非小细胞肺癌细胞凋亡

为了探究miR-29a对非小细胞肺癌细胞增殖和凋亡的影响及分子机制,本研究通过荧光定量PCR检测肺癌组织、癌旁组织、肺癌细胞以及人正常肺支气管上皮细胞BEAS-2B中miR-29a的表达,在肺癌A549转染miR-29a mimics后,使用荧光定量PCR和CCK-8法分别检测miR-29a的表达以及各组细胞的活力,使用流式细胞术检测A549细胞凋亡;通过荧光定量PCR检测肺癌组织、癌旁组织PDGFB m RNA的表达,采用Western blot检测PDGFB蛋白的表达;使用双荧光素酶报告基因检测miR-29a可能的靶基因;在肺癌A549细胞转染miR-29a mimics后继续转染PDGFB过表达质粒,通过qPCR和Western blotting分别检测PDGFB mRNA和蛋白的表达。结果表明,与癌旁组织相比,miR-29a在肺癌组织的表达显著下调(p<0.01),PDGFB在肺癌组织的表达显著增加(p<0.01);转染miR-29a mimics后,肺癌A549细胞中miR-29a表达显著增加(p<0.01);CCK-8法结果显示miR-29a mimics组A549肺癌细胞在24 h和48 h后细胞增值率较miR-NC对照组显著降低(p<0.01);流式细胞术结果显示miR-29a mimics组的细胞凋亡率较miR-NC对照组显著增加(p<0.01);与miR-NC+PDGFB 3’UTR WT组相比,miR-29a mimics+PDGFB 3’UTR WT组的荧光强度显著降低(p<0.01);荧光定量PCR和Western blotting显示miR-29a mimics+PDGFB组PDGFB m RNA和蛋白表达量与miR-29a mimics+vector组相比显著增加(p<0.01)。本研究结果表明miR-29a在肺癌组织和肺癌细胞株中低表达,及抑制PDGFB的表达并且促进肺癌细胞凋亡。     

lncRNA BLACAT1通过抑制miR-374b-5p促进非小细胞肺癌细胞增殖和转移

目的:研究长链非编码RNA BLACAT1在非小细胞肺癌发生和转移过程中的作用机制。方法:starBase软件分析TCGA数据库中肺腺癌及肺鳞癌与癌旁组织之间BLACAT1表达差异;qRT-PCR检测人非小细胞肺癌细胞A549、HCC827、NCI-H1299、NCI-H23和正常肺上皮细胞BEAS-2B中BLACAT1的转录水平差异,筛选BLACAT1高表达非小细胞肺癌细胞系;CCK-8检测BLACAT1对非小细胞肺癌细胞增殖能力的影响;Transwell检测BLACAT1对非小细胞肺癌细胞迁移和侵袭能力的影响;starBase软件预测BLACAT1作用的miRNA,采用qRT-PCR验证敲低BLACAT1对预测miRNA表达的影响,筛选与BLACAT1相互作用的miRNA,双萤光素酶报告基因实验验证结果;CCK-8检测BLACAT1/miR-374b-5p对非小细胞肺癌细胞增殖能力的影响;Transwell检测BLACAT1/miR-374b-5p对非小细胞肺癌细胞迁移和侵袭能力的影响;Western印迹检测非小细胞肺癌细胞转移相关基因的蛋白表达水平。结果:肺腺癌及肺鳞癌组织中BLACAT1表达量显著高于癌旁组织;非小细胞肺癌细胞A549的BLACAT1表达量最高;敲低BLACAT1降低A549细胞活力、迁移和侵袭能力;BLACAT1作为海绵吸附miR-374b-5p;敲低BLACAT1增加miR-374b-5p的表达,抑制非小细胞肺癌细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭。结论:BLACAT1通过抑制miR-374b-5p促进非小细胞肺癌细胞增殖和转移。     

过表达miR-153非小细胞肺癌细胞稳转株的构建及鉴定

目的:构建过表达miR-153的非小细胞肺癌的稳转细胞株,为进一步探讨miR-153在肺癌发生发展中的作用奠定基础。方法:构建具有嘌呤霉素抗性的miR-153慢病毒载体;体外培养非小细胞肺癌细胞系SPC-A-1和A549,加入浓度梯度的嘌呤霉素溶液,筛选出最佳浓度;使用慢病毒转染细胞株,并在转染72 h后用荧光显微镜检测绿色荧光蛋白(EGFP)的表达,评价转染效率;体外实验使用PCR检测miR-153在稳转株的表达;稳转株移植裸鼠体内成瘤,取出瘤体后检测瘤体内EGFP和miR-153的表达。结果:完成过表达miR-153慢病毒载体及阴性对照载体的构建;确定嘌呤霉素最佳筛选浓度:在SPC-A-1细胞中的浓度为2.0 g/mL,A549细胞中的浓度为3.0 g/mL;目的基因miR-153被慢病毒成功导入SPC-A-1细胞和A549细胞中,荧光显微镜下能直接观察到EGFP。转染miR-153组和阴性对照组的PCR实验结果显示:在SPC-A-1细胞中,miR-153的表达量为92.9±20.6,明显高于阴性对照组(P=0.016);在A549细胞中,miR-153的表达量为2624.6±153.4,显著高于阴性对照组(P0.001)。稳转株能在裸鼠体内形成移植瘤,瘤体内明显有EGFP的表达;与阴性对照组的瘤体相比,移植瘤组miR-153的表达量为显著上调(P=0.048)。结论:成功构建过表达miR-153的非小细胞肺癌的稳转细胞株。     

LncRNA UNC5B-AS1对肺癌细胞黏附、侵袭及迁移的影响及其机制*

目的:探讨长链非编码RNA(lncRNA)UNC5B-AS1调控miR-218-5p的表达影响肺癌细胞黏附、侵袭和迁移及其作用机制。方法:选取2017年6月至2019年6月在重庆三峡中心医院肿瘤科经手术切除的20例肺癌患者癌组织和对应癌旁组织标本,采用实时荧光定量PCR(qRT-PCR)检测肺癌组织和癌旁组织及其支气管上皮细胞HBE和不同肺癌细胞A549、H1437、H1975、H1299和H460中UNC5B-AS1的表达。将UNC5B-AS1 siRNA转染至肺癌A549细胞,采用黏附实验、Transwell侵袭实验及划痕实验检测下调UNC5B-AS1对A549细胞黏附、侵袭和迁移能力的影响;qRT-PCR和双荧光素酶报告基因检测实验鉴定UNC5B-AS1对miR-218-5p的靶向调控关系;Western blot检测上皮间质转化(EMT)相关蛋白表达情况。结果:肺癌组织和细胞中UNC5B-AS1表达显著高于癌旁组织和支气管上皮细胞(P＜0.05),UNC5B-AS1在肺癌A549细胞中的表达量最高(P＜0.05)。下调UNC5B-AS1的表达能够抑制A549细胞黏附、侵袭和迁移能力(P＜0.05)。qRT-PCR和双荧光素酶报告基因检测结果表明UNC5B-AS1能靶向调控miR-218-5p的表达。下调UNC5B-AS1可抑制E-cadherin蛋白表达,促进Vimentin和Twist蛋白表达。结论:lncRNA UNC5B-AS1通过靶向调控miR-218-5p的表达促进肺癌细胞黏附、侵袭和迁移,其作用机制可能与促进EMT的发生有关。     

Nupr1调控非小细胞肺癌细胞迁移、凋亡机制的研究

目的:探讨核蛋白1(Nupr1)调控非小细胞肺癌细胞迁移、凋亡机制的研究。方法:肿瘤抑制剂盐酸素(salinomycin)不同时间处理非小细胞肺癌细胞A549后采用Western Blot法检测非小细胞肺癌细胞A549中Cleaved Caspase-3、Nupr1的蛋白表达;Transwell小室检测Nupr1基因沉默后非小细胞肺癌细胞A549细胞体外迁移、侵袭能力的变化;Western Blot法检测Nupr1沉默后非小细胞肺癌细胞A549 MMP-2、TIMP-1的蛋白表达;流式细胞仪检测Nupr1沉默后非小细胞肺癌细胞A549的凋亡情况。结果:与未经肿瘤抑制剂salinomycin处理对照组相比较,salinomycin处理后的非小细胞肺癌细胞A549中Nupr1蛋白表达量下降,Cleaved Caspase-3蛋白表达量升高,并且随着作用时间呈依赖关系。Nupr1-siRNA转染组的迁移能力相比对照组未转染组下降(64.4±7.2)%,Nupr1-siRNA转染组的侵袭能力相比对照组下降(58.7±7.3)%。与未转染Nupr1-siRNA对照组相比较,转染后TIMP-1的表达明显上调,而MMP-2的表达则明显下调。流式细胞仪检测结果显示Nupr1沉默后非小细胞肺癌细胞A549出现大量凋亡。结论:Nupr1基因沉默后通过上调TIMP-1的表达,下调MMP-2的表达降低肺癌A549细胞的侵袭和迁移能力,进而促进非小细胞肺癌细胞凋亡。     

奥利司他逆转肺腺癌A549/DDP细胞株顺铂耐药及机制研究

本研究的目的是观察奥利司他(Orlistat)逆转肺腺癌耐顺铂细胞株A549/DDP的耐药作用并考察其可能的分子机制。应用CCK-8法检测并计算肺腺癌耐药细胞株A549/DDP对顺铂(cisplatin, DDP)的耐药指数(resistance index, RI),筛选奥利司他的最佳实验浓度并观察其对A549/DDP细胞的耐药逆转效果;倒置荧光显微镜下观察各实验组细胞的形态学变化及Hoechst 33258荧光染色后细胞凋亡形态学改变;采用流式细胞术检测不同药物处理对细胞凋亡率的影响;Western blotting检测各实验组细胞P-gp、FASN、PI3K、Akt、p-Akt、NF-κB、Bcl-2和cleved-caspase-3的表达情况。结果显示,奥利司他抑制了A549/DDP耐药细胞株的增殖,且具有浓度依赖性。奥利司他与DDP联用增加了耐药株A549/DDP细胞对DDP的敏感性,耐药逆转倍数为5.02。倒置荧光显微镜观察到联合用药组细胞出现了明显的凋亡形态学改变。流式细胞术结果表明,与对照组和单药组比较,两种药物联用后细胞的凋亡率显著提高(p0.05)。Western blotting检测结果显示,相较于其它3组,联合用药组中耐药相关蛋白P-gp表达下调(p0.01),PI3K、p-Akt、NF-κB表达水平均显著降低(p0.01),抗凋亡蛋白Bcl-2表达下降(p0.01),凋亡相关蛋白cleved-caspase-3表达上调(p0.01);虽然FASN的表达在单用奥利司他组及联合用药组中均降低,但这两组间的FASN表达水平并无统计学差异。以上结果表明,奥利司他能够提高A549/DDP耐药细胞株对化疗药物DDP的敏感性,具有逆转肺腺癌细胞耐药性的作用,其机制与降低耐药蛋白P-gp的表达、抑制PI3K/Akt/NF-κB信号通路以及其下游凋亡相关蛋白有关。     

Silence of lncRNA UCA1 rescues drug resistance of cisplatin to non–small-cell lung cancer cells

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) urogenital carcinoma antigen 1 (UCA1) on drug resistance in A549/DDP cell and explore its underlying mechanism. The inhibition rate and IC ₅₀ of DDP were detected in A549 and A549/DDP cells by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay. The expression of lncRNA UCA1 was measured in A549 and A549/DDP cells by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The expressions of N-cadherin, E-cadherin, vimentin, and Snail were detected in A549 and A549/DDP cells by Western blot analysis. Results showed that the IC ₅₀ of DDP was 16.20 ± 2.27 μmol/L and 69.72 ± 4.83 μmol/L in A549 and A549/ DDP cells, respectively. Compared with the A549 group, the expressions of N-cadherin, vimentin, and Snail was significantly upregulated in A549/DDP group, but E-cadherin was significantly downregulated. Compared with the shCon group, the abundance of N-cadherin, vimentin, and Snail was significantly downregulated in short hairpin RNA UCA1 (shUCA1) group, while E-cadherin was significantly upregulated. Cell migration and invasion were significantly suppressed and IC ₅₀ was reversed to 16.20 ± 2.27 μmol/L in the shUCA1 group. Silencing lncRNA UCA1 inhibited the migration and invasion of A549/DDP cells and reversed the resistance of A549/DDP cells to DDP. The mechanism might be related to downregulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, which will provide a new direction for the treatment of non–small-cell lung cancer with cisplatin.     

miR-146b Reverses epithelial-mesenchymal transition via targeting PTP1B in cisplatin-resistance human lung adenocarcinoma cells

Epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) is associated with drug resistance in human lung adenocarcinoma cells, but its specific mechanism has not been clarified. In this study, we investigated the effect of miRNA-146b on EMT in cisplatin (DDP) resistant human lung adenocarcinoma cells and the corresponding mechanism. Cisplatin resistant (CR) human lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549/DDP and H1299/DDP) were established, and the EMT characteristics and invasion and metastasis ability of CR cells were determined by tumor cell-related biological behavior experiments. The role of miR-146b in EMT of CR cells was determined by in vitro functional test. The targeted binding of miR-146b to protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) was verified by biological information and double luciferin gene reporting experiments. The effect of miR-146b on tumor growth and EMT phenotype in vivo was investigated by establishing the xenotransplantation mouse model. Compared with the control group, H1299/DDP and A549/DDP cells showed the enhanced EMT phenotypes, invasion and migration ability. Besides, miR-146b was lowly expressed in H1299/DDP and A549/DDP cells. More importantly, overexpressed miR-146b could specifically bind to PTP1B, thus inhibiting the EMT process and ultimately reducing CR in H1299/DDP and A549/DDP cells. Finally, overexpressed miR-146b observably inhibited tumor growth in xenograft model mice and inhibited the EMT phenotype of A549/DDP cells in vivo by regulating the expressions of EMT-related proteins. Overexpressed miR-146b could reverse the EMT phenotype of CR lung adenocarcinoma cells by targeting PTP1B, providing new therapeutic directions for CR of lung adenocarcinoma cells.     

miR-126 inhibits non-small cell lung cancer cells proliferation by targeting EGFL7

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent an abundant group of small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression, and have been demonstrated to play roles as tumor suppressor genes (oncogenes), and affect homeostatic processes such as development, cell proliferation, and cell death. Subsequently, epidermal growth factor-like domain 7 (EGFL7), which is confirmed to be involved in cellular responses such as cell migration and blood vessel formation, is identified as a potential miR-126 target by bioinformatics. However, there is still no evidence showing EGFL7’s relationship with miR-126 and the proliferation of lung cancer cells. The aim of this work is to investigate whether miR-126, together with EGFL7, have an effect on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells’ proliferation. Therefore, we constructed overexpressed miR-126 plasmid to target EGFL7 and transfected them into NSCLC cell line A549 cells. Then, we used methods like quantitative RT-PCR, Western blot, flow cytometry assay, and immunohistochemistry staining to confirm our findings. The result was that overexpression of miR-126 in A549 cells could increase EGFL7 expression. Furthermore, the most notable finding by cell proliferation related assays is that miR-126 can inhibit A549 cells proliferation in vitro and inhibit tumor growth in vivo by targeting EGFL7. As a result, our study demonstrates that miR-126 can inhibit proliferation of non-small cell lung cancer cells through one of its targets, EGFL7.     

RNA interferences targeting the Fanconi anemia/BRCA pathway upstream genes reverse cisplatin resistance in drug-resistant lung cancer cells

Background

Cisplatin is one of the most commonly used chemotherapy agent for lung cancer. The therapeutic efficacy of cisplatin is limited by the development of resistance.In this study, we test the effect of RNA interference (RNAi) targeting Fanconi anemia (FA)/BRCA pathway upstream genes on the sensitivity of cisplatin-sensitive (A549 and SK-MES-1) and -resistant (A549/DDP) lung cancer cells to cisplatin.

Result

Using small interfering RNA (siRNA), knockdown of FANCF, FANCL, or FANCD2 inhibited function of the FA/BRCA pathway in A549, A549/DDP and SK-MES-1 cells, and potentiated sensitivity of the three cells to cisplatin. The extent of proliferation inhibition induced by cisplatin after knockdown of FANCF and/or FANCL in A549/DDP cells was significantly greater than in A549 and SK-MES-1 cells, suggesting that depletion of FANCF and/or FANCL can reverse resistance of cisplatin-resistant lung cancer cells to cisplatin. Furthermore, knockdown of FANCL resulted in higher cisplatin sensitivity and dramatically elevated apoptosis rates compared with knockdown of FANCF in A549/DDP cells, indicating that FANCL play an important role in the repair of cisplatin-induced DNA damage.

Conclusion

Knockdown of FANCF, FANCL, or FANCD2 by RNAi could synergize the effect of cisplatin on suppressing cell proliferation in cisplatin-resistant lung cancer cells through inhibition of FA/BRCA pathway.     

DNA damage responsive miR-33b-3p promoted lung cancer cells survival and cisplatin resistance by targeting p21WAF1/CIP1

Cisplatin is the most potent and widespread used chemotherapy drug for lung cancer treatment. However, the development of resistance to cisplatin is a major obstacle in clinical therapy. The principal mechanism of cisplatin is the induction of DNA damage, thus the capability of DNA damage response (DDR) is a key factor that influences the cisplatin sensitivity of cancer cells. Recent advances have demonstrated that miRNAs (microRNAs) exerted critical roles in DNA damage response; nonetheless, the association between DNA damage responsive miRNAs and cisplatin resistance and its underlying molecular mechanism still require further investigation. The present study has attempted to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in cisplatin induced DNA damage response in lung cancer cells, and probe into the effects of the misexpressed miRNAs on cisplatin sensitivity. Deep sequencing showed that miR-33b-3p was dramatically down-regulated in cisplatin-induced DNA damage response in A549 cells; and ectopic expression of miR-33b-3p endowed the lung cancer cells with enhanced survival and decreased γH2A.X expression level under cisplatin treatment. Consistently, silencing of miR-33b-3p in the cisplatin-resistant A549/DDP cells evidently sensitized the cells to cisplatin. Furthermore, we identified CDKN1A (p21) as a functional target of miR-33b-3p, a critical regulator of G1/S checkpoint, which potentially mediated the protection effects of miR-33b-3p against cisplatin. In aggregate, our results suggested that miR-33b-3p modulated the cisplatin sensitivity of cancer cells might probably through impairing the DNA damage response. And the knowledge of the drug resistance conferred by miR-33b-3p has great clinical implications for improving the efficacy of chemotherapies for treating lung cancers.     

miR-17-5p Downregulation Contributes to Paclitaxel Resistance of Lung Cancer Cells through Altering Beclin1 Expression

Non- small- cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Paclitaxel based combination therapies have long been used as a standard treatment in aggressive NSCLCs. But paclitaxel resistance has emerged as a major clinical problem in combating non-small-cell lung cancer and autophagy is one of the important mechanisms involved in this phenomenon. In this study, we used microRNA (miRNA) arrays to screen differentially expressed miRNAs between paclitaxel sensitive lung cancer cells A549 and its paclitaxel-resistant cell variant (A549-T24). We identified miR-17-5p was one of most significantly downregulated miRNAs in paclitaxel-resistant lung cancer cells compared to paclitaxel sensitive parental cells. We found that overexpression of miR-17-5p sensitized paclitaxel resistant lung cancer cells to paclitaxel induced apoptotic cell death. Moreover, in this report we demonstrated that miR-17-5p directly binds to the 3′-UTR of beclin 1 gene, one of the most important autophagy modulator. Overexpression of miR-17-5p into paclitaxel resistant lung cancer cells reduced beclin1 expression and a concordant decease in cellular autophagy. We also observed similar results in another paclitaxel resistant lung adenosquamous carcinoma cells (H596-TxR). Our results indicated that paclitaxel resistance of lung cancer is associated with downregulation of miR-17-5p expression which might cause upregulation of BECN1 expression.     

Integrated analysis of DNA methylation and mRNA expression profiling reveals candidate genes associated with cisplatin resistance in non-small cell lung cancer

DNA methylation plays a critical role during the development of acquired chemoresistance. The aim of this study was to identify candidate DNA methylation drivers of cisplatin (DDP) resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The A549/DDP cell line was established by continuous exposure of A549 cells to increasing concentrations of DDP. Gene expression and methylation profiling were determined by high-throughput microarrays. Relationship of methylation status and DDP response was validated in primary tumor cell culture and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) samples. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, and response to DDP were determined in vitro and in vivo. A total of 372 genes showed hypermethylation and downregulation in A549/DDP cells, and these genes were involved in most fundamental biological processes. Ten candidate genes (S100P, GDA, WISP2, LOXL1, TIMP4, ICAM1, CLMP, HSP8, GAS1, BMP2) were selected, and exhibited varying degrees of association with DDP resistance. Low dose combination of 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-dC) and trichostatin A (TSA) reversed drug resistance of A549/DDP cells in vitro and in vivo, along with demethylation and restoration of expression of candidate genes (GAS1, TIMP4, ICAM1 and WISP2). Forced expression of GAS1 in A549/DDP cells by gene transfection contributed to increased sensitivity to DDP, proliferation inhibition, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis enhancement, and in vivo growth retardation. Together, our study demonstrated that a panel of candidate genes downregulated by DNA methylation induced DDP resistance in NSCLC, and showed that epigenetic therapy resensitized cells to DDP.