Modulation of alternative splicing induced by paclitaxel in human lung cancer

Cell Death Dis. 2018 May 1;9(5):491. doi: 10.1038/s41419-018-0539-4.

Abstract

Paclitaxel is utilized as the first-line chemotherapeutic regimen for the majority of advanced non-small-cell lung carcinoma. However, whether paclitaxel could suppress cancer progression through modulating RNA alternative splicing remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrated the effects of paclitaxel on cell proliferation inhibition, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis. Mechanistically, paclitaxel leads to transcriptional alteration of networks involved in DNA replication and repair, chromosome segregation, chromatin silencing at rDNA, and mitosis at the transcriptional level. Moreover, paclitaxel regulates a number of cancer-associated RNA alternative splicing events, including genes involved in cellular response to DNA damage stimulus, preassembly of GPI anchor in ER membrane, transcription, and DNA repair. In particular, paclitaxel modulates the splicing of ECT2, a key factor involved in the regulation of cytokinesis. Briefly, paclitaxel favors the production of ECT2-S, the short splicing isoforms of ECT2, thereby inhibiting cancer cell proliferation. Our study provides mechanistic insights of paclitaxel on RNA alternative splicing regulation, thus to offer a potential novel route for paclitaxel to inhibit cancer progression.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • A549 Cells
  • Alternative Splicing / drug effects*
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / pharmacology*
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Cell Cycle Checkpoints / drug effects
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Gene Regulatory Networks
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Lung Neoplasms / genetics
  • Lung Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Paclitaxel / pharmacology*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
  • ECT2 protein, human
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • Paclitaxel