Functional role of the SLC7A11-AS1/xCT axis in the development of gastric cancer cisplatin-resistance by a GSH-dependent mechanism

Free Radic Biol Med. 2022 May 1:184:53-65. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2022.03.026. Epub 2022 Mar 31.

Abstract

Resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy is a major obstacle in gastric cancer (GC) treatment. Abundant long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are reported to play important roles in tumorigenesis and drug resistance biology. Herein, we report that the SLC7A11-AS1 and xCT are involved in cisplatin resistance in GC. SLC7A11-AS1 was downregulated and xCT was upregulated in cisplatin-resistant GC tissues and cell lines. GC patients with low expression of SLC7A11-AS1 and high expression of xCT had a poor prognosis and relatively poor response to chemotherapy. Overexpression of SLC7A11-AS1 weakened GC growth, reduced intracellular GSH biosynthesis, enhanced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and conferred sensitivity to cisplatin to resistant GC cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, SLC7A11-AS1 directly suppressed xCT expression, while miR-33a-5p remarkably reduced SLC7A11-AS1 and xCT expression by directly targeting the SLC7A11-AS1 and xCT 3'UTRs. In addition, we found that low SLC7A11-AS1 expression activated the p38MAPK-JNK signaling pathway, and increased the expression of cisplatin export gene ATP7A and the GSH biosynthesis gene GCLM in GC.

Keywords: Cisplatin resistance; Gastric cancer; Long non-coding RNA; SLC7A11-AS1; xCT.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Transport System y+ / genetics
  • Amino Acid Transport System y+ / metabolism
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / genetics
  • Cisplatin / pharmacology
  • Cisplatin / therapeutic use
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Glutathione
  • Humans
  • MicroRNAs / genetics
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism
  • RNA, Antisense* / genetics
  • RNA, Long Noncoding* / genetics
  • RNA, Long Noncoding* / metabolism
  • Stomach Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Stomach Neoplasms* / genetics

Substances

  • Amino Acid Transport System y+
  • MicroRNAs
  • RNA, Antisense
  • RNA, Long Noncoding
  • SLC7A11 protein, human
  • Glutathione
  • Cisplatin