Suppression of Poly(rC)-Binding Protein 4 (PCBP4) reduced cisplatin resistance in human maxillary cancer cells

Sci Rep. 2015 Jul 21:5:12360. doi: 10.1038/srep12360.

Abstract

Cisplatin plays an important role in the therapy for human head and neck cancers. However, cancer cells develop cisplatin resistance, leading to difficulty in treatment and poor prognosis. To analyze cisplatin-resistant mechanisms, a cisplatin-resistant cell line, IMC-3CR, was established from the IMC-3 human maxillary cancer cell line. Flow cytometry revealed that, compared with IMC-3 cells, cisplatin more dominantly induced cell cycle G2/M arrest rather than apoptosis in IMC-3CR cells. That fact suggests that IMC-3CR cells avoid cisplatin-induced apoptosis through induction of G2/M arrest, which allows cancer cells to repair damaged DNA and survive. In the present study, we specifically examined Poly(rC)-Binding Protein 4 (PCBP4), which reportedly induces G2/M arrest. Results showed that suppression of PCBP4 by RNAi reduced cisplatin-induced G2/M arrest and enhanced apoptosis in IMC-3CR cells, resulting in the reduction of cisplatin resistance. In contrast, overexpression of PCBP4 in IMC-3 cells induced G2/M arrest after cisplatin treatment and enhanced cisplatin resistance. We revealed that PCBP4 combined with Cdc25A and suppressed the expression of Cdc25A, resulting in G2/M arrest. PCBP4 plays important roles in the induction of cisplatin resistance in human maxillary cancers. PCBP4 is a novel molecular target for the therapy of head and neck cancers, especially cisplatin-resistant cancers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Apoptosis / genetics
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cisplatin / pharmacology*
  • DNA Damage / drug effects
  • DNA Damage / genetics
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / drug effects*
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / genetics*
  • G2 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints / drug effects
  • G2 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints / genetics
  • Humans
  • M Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints / drug effects
  • M Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints / genetics
  • Maxillary Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Maxillary Neoplasms / genetics*
  • RNA-Binding Proteins / genetics*
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Signal Transduction / genetics
  • cdc25 Phosphatases / genetics

Substances

  • PCBP4 protein, human
  • RNA-Binding Proteins
  • CDC25A protein, human
  • cdc25 Phosphatases
  • Cisplatin