Abstract
BackgroundLung cancer stem cells have the ability to self-renew and are resistant to conventional chemotherapy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate and control the expression and function of many target genes; therefore, miRNA disorders are involved in the pathogenesis of human diseases, such as cancer. However, the effects of miRNA dysregulation on tumour stemness and drug resistance have not been fully elucidated. miR-181b has been reported to be a tumour suppressor miRNA and is associated with drug-resistant non-small cell lung cancer.MethodsCancer stem cell (CSC)-like properties were tested by a cell proliferation assay and flow cytometry; miR-181b expression was measured by real-time PCR; and Notch2 and related proteins were detected by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. A mouse xenograft model was also established.ResultsIn this study, we found that ectopic miR-181b expression suppressed cancer stem cell properties and enhanced sensitivity to cisplatin (DDP) treatment by directly targeting Notch2. miR-181b could inactivate the Notch2/Hes1 signalling pathway. In addition, tumours from nude mice treated with miR-181b were significantly smaller than tumours from mice treated with control agomir. Decreased miR-181b expression and increased Notch2 expression were observed to have a significant relationship with overall survival (OS) and CSC-like properties in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.ConclusionsThis study elucidates an important role of miR-181b in the regulation of CSC-like properties, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for overcoming drug resistance in NSCLC.
Highlights
Lung cancer stem cells have the ability to self-renew and are resistant to conventional chemotherapy
This study elucidates an important role of miR-181b in the regulation of Cancer stem cell (CSC)-like properties, suggesting that the miR-181b-Notch2 axis is a potential target for the treatment of chemoresistance in Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
Decreased miR-181b expression and increased Notch2 expression were observed to have a significant relationship with overall survival (OS) and CSC-like properties in NSCLC patients
Summary
Lung cancer stem cells have the ability to self-renew and are resistant to conventional chemotherapy. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are currently recognized as a unique subset of cells with exclusive abilities such as unlimited self-renewal, asymmetric cell division, Wang et al Stem Cell Research & Therapy (2018) 9:327 and resistance to toxic agents that enable them to perpetuate the growth of a malignant population, which distinguishes them from the bulk of tumour cells [6]. These important clinical observations of CSC-like properties have triggered intense interest in experimental approaches to further investigate their effects on the treatment of drug-resistant lung cancer
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