Abstract
Drug resistance prominently hampers the effects of systemic therapy of sorafenib to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Epigenetics have critical regulatory roles in drug resistance. However, the contributions of histone methylatransferase SET and MYND domain containing 3 (SMYD3) to sorafenib resistance in HCC remain largely unknown. Here, using our established sorafenib-resistant HCC cell and xenograft models, we found SMYD3 was markedly elevated in sorafenib-resistant tumors and cells. Functionally, loss- and gain-of-function studies showed that SMYD3 promoted the migration, invasion, metastasis and stemness of sorafenib-resistant HCC cells. Mechanistically, SMYD3 is required for SMAD2/3-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in sorafenib-resistant HCC cells by interacting with SMAD2/3 and epigenetically promoting the expression of SOX4, ZEB1, SNAIL1 and MMP9 genes. In summary, our data demonstrate that targeting SMYD3 is an effective approach to overcome sorafenib resistance in HCC.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.