Silencing stathmin-modulating efficiency of chemotherapy for esophageal squamous cell cancer with paclitaxel.

Abstract

Paclitaxel (PTX) is broadly considered the drug of choice for treating human esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC). However, PTX resistance often ultimately leads to treatment failure. stathmin, or Op18, is a ubiquitously expressed 19-kDa cytosolic phosphoprotein that can integrate various cellular regulatory signals. stathmin overexpression could lead to resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. In this study we investigated the effect of stathmin gene silencing, using small interfering RNA (stathmin siRNA), on the efficacy of PTX in ESCC. Transfection of stathmin siRNA could significantly inhibit stathmin mRNA and protein levels in ESCC cell lines EC9706 and Eca-109. The silencing of stathmin combined with PTX significantly inhibited the proliferation of EC9706 and Eca-109 cells, with a significantly higher proportion of cells at G2/M phase and this antiproliferative effect was accompanied by an increase in apoptosis rates and morphology changes of EC9706 and Eca-109. Thus, combined chemotherapeutic agent PTX and stathmin siRNA could potentially enhance the therapeutic outcomes of PTX in treating ESCC.

• Authors: W Feng, X Xiaoyan, Y Xuan, L Xiangke, Y Zichang, Z Ran, W Liuxing, F Qingxia
• Journal: Cancer gene therapy (Cancer Gene Ther) Vol. 22 Issue 3 Pg. 115-21 (Apr 2015) ISSN: 1476-5500 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 25572118 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
• RNA, Small Interfering
• STMN1 protein, human
• Stathmin
• Paclitaxel

Topics

• Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic (pharmacology)
• Apoptosis
• Carcinoma, Squamous Cell (drug therapy, genetics, metabolism)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Shape
• Cell Survival (drug effects)
• Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
• Esophageal Neoplasms (drug therapy, genetics, metabolism)
• G2 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints
• Gene Knockdown Techniques
• Humans
• Paclitaxel (pharmacology)
• RNA Interference
• RNA, Small Interfering (genetics)
• Stathmin (genetics, metabolism)