Chemotherapy remains the standard treatment for triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC); however, chemoresistance compromises its efficacy. The RNA‐binding protein Hu antigen R (HuR) could be a potential therapeutic target to enhance the chemotherapy efficacy. HuR is known to mainly stabilize its target mRNAs, and/or promote the translation of encoded proteins, which are implicated in multiple cancer hallmarks, including chemoresistance. In this study, a docetaxel‐resistant cell subline (231‐TR) was established from the human TNBC cell line MDA‐MB‐231. Both the parental and resistant cell lines exhibited similar sensitivity to the small molecule functional inhibitor of HuR, KH‐3. Docetaxel and KH‐3 combination therapy synergistically inhibited cell proliferation in TNBC cells and tumor growth in three animal models. KH‐3 downregulated the expression levels of HuR targets (e.g., β‐Catenin and BCL2) in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner. Moreover, KH‐3 restored docetaxel's effects on activating Caspase‐3 and cleaving PARP in 231‐TR cells, induced apoptotic cell death, and caused S‐phase cell cycle arrest. Together, our findings suggest that HuR is a critical mediator of docetaxel resistance and provide a rationale for combining HuR inhibitors and chemotherapeutic agents to enhance chemotherapy efficacy.
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Exploration of drug resistance mechanisms in triple negative breast cancer cells using a microfluidic device and patient tissues
Chemoresistance is a major cause of treatment failure in many cancers. However, the life cycle of cancer cells as they respond to and survive environmental and therapeutic stress is understudied. In this study, we utilized a microfluidic device to induce the development of doxorubicin-resistant (DOXR) cells from triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells within 11 days by generating gradients of DOX and medium. In vivo chemoresistant xenograft models, an unbiased genome-wide transcriptome analysis, and a patient data/tissue analysis all showed that chemoresistance arose from failed epigenetic control of the nuclear protein-1 (NUPR1)/histone deacetylase 11 (HDAC11) axis, and highNUPR1expression correlated with poor clinical outcomes. These results suggest that the chip can rapidly induce resistant cells that increase tumor heterogeneity and chemoresistance, highlighting the need for further studies on the epigenetic control of the NUPR1/HDAC11 axis in TNBC.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1734030
- PAR ID:
- 10572791
- Publisher / Repository:
- eLife
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- eLife
- Volume:
- 12
- ISSN:
- 2050-084X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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