HIPK3 maintains sensitivity to platinum drugs and prevents disease progression in gastric cancer

Cancer Lett. 2024 Mar 1:584:216643. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.216643. Epub 2024 Jan 20.

Abstract

In the realm of cancer therapeutics and resistance, kinases play a crucial role, particularly in gastric cancer (GC). Our study focused on platinum-based chemotherapy resistance in GC, revealing a significant reduction in homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 3 (HIPK3) expression in platinum-resistant tumors through meticulous analysis of transcriptome datasets. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that HIPK3 knockdown enhanced tumor proliferation and metastasis, while upregulation had the opposite effect. We identified the myocyte enhancer factor 2C (MEF2C) as a transcriptional regulator of HIPK3 and uncovered HIPK3's role in downregulating the morphogenesis regulator microtubule-associated protein (MAP7) through ubiquitination. Phosphoproteome profiling revealed HIPK3's inhibitory effects on mTOR and Wnt pathways crucial in cell proliferation and movement. A combined treatment strategy involving oxaliplatin, rapamycin, and IWR1-1-endo effectively overcame platinum resistance induced by reduced HIPK3 expression. Monitoring HIPK3 levels could serve as a GC malignancy and platinum resistance indicator, with our proposed treatment strategy offering novel avenues for reversing resistance in gastric cancer.

Keywords: Gastric cancer; HIPK3; MAP7; Platinum resistance.

MeSH terms

  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Disease Progression
  • Humans
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Oxaliplatin / pharmacology
  • Platinum*
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / genetics
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism
  • Stomach Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Stomach Neoplasms* / genetics
  • Stomach Neoplasms* / metabolism

Substances

  • Platinum
  • Oxaliplatin
  • HIPK3 protein, human
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins