Wnt pathway is involved in 5-FU drug resistance of colorectal cancer cells

Exp Mol Med. 2018 Aug 14;50(8):1-12. doi: 10.1038/s12276-018-0128-8.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is widely used in the treatment of cancers, but its antineoplastic activity is limited in drug-resistant cancer cells. To investigate the detailed mechanism of 5-FU resistance, we developed a model of 5-FU-resistant cells from HCT-8 cells, a well-established colorectal cancer cell line. We found that the drug-resistant cells demonstrated high expression of TCF4 and β-catenin, indicating an upregulated Wnt pathway. A microarray analysis revealed that the suppression of the checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) pathway explained the resistance to 5-FU, especially in p53 wild-type cancer cells such as HCT-8. Our data also demonstrated that the CHK1 pathway is suppressed by the Wnt pathway in 5-FU-resistant cells. In summary, we have discovered a novel mechanism for 5-FU resistance mediated by histone deacetylation, which also revealed the crosstalk between the Wnt pathway and CHK1 pathway.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acetylation
  • Animals
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Checkpoint Kinase 1 / metabolism
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / genetics
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / pathology*
  • DNA Repair / drug effects
  • Down-Regulation / drug effects
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / drug effects*
  • Fluorouracil / pharmacology*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / drug effects
  • Histones / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Mice, Nude
  • Models, Biological
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / metabolism
  • Up-Regulation / drug effects
  • Wnt Signaling Pathway / drug effects*
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • Histones
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53
  • CHEK1 protein, human
  • Checkpoint Kinase 1
  • Fluorouracil