SOX9 enhances sorafenib resistance through upregulating ABCG2 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma.

SOX9 enhances sorafenib resistance through upregulating ABCG2 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma. Biomed Pharmacother. 2020 Jun 15;129:110315 Authors: Wang M, Wang Z, Zhi X, Ding W, Xiong J, Tao T, Yang Y, Zhang H, Zi X, Zhou W, Huang G Abstract Sorafenib is a multi-kinase blocker and one of the few suggested drug treatments for aggressive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. However, drug resistance to sorafenib may often occur over time and cause further tumor aggression. Recently, cancer stem cells were found in HCC and were speculated to be involved in tumor progression. SOX9 is highly expressed in HCC cancer stem cells and promotes cell proliferation and self-renewal. Meanwhile, HCC patients with higher SOX9 expression show poorer prognosis. Whether SOX9 is involved in sorafenib resistance in HCC is still unclear. Here, we found that sorafenib treatment increased the proportion of SOX9 positive cells in HCC cell lines. Overexpression of exogenous SOX9 in HCC increased sorafenib resistance both in vitro and in vivo, whereas down-regulation led to inhibition of sorafenib resistance. Knock-down of SOX9 by RNA interference caused down-regulation of downstream genes, including ATP binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2). The drug resistance to sorafenib caused by SOX9 overexpression could be ameliorated by ABCG2 inhibition in HCC cell lines. In the cohort of patients taken sorafenib, we found that patients with lower SO...
Source: Biomedicine and pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine and pharmacotherapie - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Biomed Pharmacother Source Type: research