Chemotherapy is widely used for the treatment of
ovarian cancer. Since
chemotherapy resistance is the major cause of poor prognosis in patients with
ovarian cancer, it is important to identify new methods to improve the efficacy of
chemotherapy.
Minichromosome maintenance complex component 2 (MCM2), which serves an essential role in DNA replication, has been recently identified as a novel proliferation marker with prognostic implications in multiple types of
cancer. However, the role of MCM2 in
ovarian cancer and its underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, in the present study, the
biological effects of MCM2 were investigated, particularly with respect to DNA damage and repair. In the present study,
short hairpin RNA was employed to knockdown MCM2 expression in the A2780
ovarian cancer cell line. The sensitivity of A2780 cells to
carboplatin was assessed by cell colony formation assay. The present results suggested that MCM2 knockdown inhibited the proliferation of
tumor cells, induced G0/G1 phase arrest and did not exhibit effects on cell apoptosis. However, MCM2 knockdown significantly decreased the colony formation of A2780 cells treated with
carboplatin. Furthermore, knockdown of MCM2 together with
carboplatin treatment or UV irradiation increased the
protein expression level of γ‑H2A
histone family member X and p53 compared with control cells. The present data suggested that the increased sensitivity to
carboplatin may occur via the p53‑dependent apoptotic response. Additionally, the present results suggested that knockdown of MCM2 may have therapeutic applications in enhancing the efficacy of
carboplatin in patients with
ovarian cancer.