Genes regulated by hepatocyte growth factor as targets to sensitize ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin.

Abstract

Advanced ovarian cancers are initially responsive to chemotherapy with platinum drugs but develop drug resistance in most cases. We showed recently that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) enhances death of human ovarian cancer cell lines treated with cisplatin (CDDP) and that this effect is mediated by the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. In this work, we integrated genome-wide expression profiling, in silico data survey, and functional assays to identify transcripts regulated in SK-OV-3 ovarian cancer cells made more responsive to CDDP by HGF. Using oligonucleotide microarrays, we found that HGF pretreatment changes the transcriptional response to CDDP. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR not only validated all the 15 most differentially expressed genes but also confirmed that they were primarily modulated by the combined treatment with HGF and CDDP and reversed by suppressing p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activity. Among the differentially expressed genes, we focused functional analysis on two regulatory subunits of the protein phosphatase 2A, which were down-modulated by HGF plus CDDP. Decrease of each subunit by RNA interference made ovarian cancer cells more responsive to CDDP, mimicking the effect of HGF. In conclusion, we show that HGF and CDDP modulate transcription in ovarian cancer cells and that this transcriptional response is involved in apoptosis regulation. We also provide the proof-of-concept that the identified genes might be targeted to either increase the efficacy of chemotherapeutics or revert chemotherapy resistance.

• Authors: Martina Olivero, Tina Ruggiero, Silvia Saviozzi, Andrea Rasola, Nadia Coltella, Stefania Crispi, Ferdinando Di Cunto, Raffaele Calogero, Maria Flavia Di Renzo
• Journal: Molecular cancer therapeutics (Mol Cancer Ther) Vol. 5 Issue 5 Pg. 1126-35 (May 2006) ISSN: 1535-7163 [Print] United States
• PMID: 16731744 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Protein Subunits
• Hepatocyte Growth Factor
• p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
• Phosphoprotein Phosphatases
• Protein Phosphatase 2
• Cisplatin

Topics

• Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Apoptosis (drug effects)
• Cisplatin (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
• Enzyme Activation (drug effects)
• Female
• Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic (drug effects)
• Hepatocyte Growth Factor (genetics, pharmacology)
• Humans
• Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
• Ovarian Neoplasms (drug therapy, genetics, metabolism)
• Phosphoprotein Phosphatases (metabolism)
• Protein Phosphatase 2
• Protein Subunits (metabolism)
• Time Factors
• Tumor Cells, Cultured
• p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (metabolism)