1. Academic Validation
  2. ABCC5 facilitates the acquired resistance of sorafenib through the inhibition of SLC7A11-induced ferroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

ABCC5 facilitates the acquired resistance of sorafenib through the inhibition of SLC7A11-induced ferroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

  • Neoplasia. 2021 Dec;23(12):1227-1239. doi: 10.1016/j.neo.2021.11.002.
Wenbin Huang 1 Kunling Chen 2 Yishi Lu 3 Donghui Zhang 4 Yuan Cheng 5 Liuran Li 6 Weimei Huang 7 Guolin He 8 Hangyu Liao 9 Lei Cai 10 Yujun Tang 11 Liang Zhao 12 Mingxin Pan 13
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery II, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: hwb1298971713@foxmail.com.
  • 2 Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery II, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: 1987454446@qq.com.
  • 3 Department of Pathology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: louis_ann@163.com.
  • 4 Department of Pathology, Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: 18819129896@163.com.
  • 5 Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery II, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: chengyuan9226@sohu.com.
  • 6 Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery II, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: 1012139428@qq.com.
  • 7 Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery II, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: weimei135gx@163.com.
  • 8 Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery II, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: dwtou@126.com.
  • 9 Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery II, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: Lhymarc@163.com.
  • 10 Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery II, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: cailei_427@163.com.
  • 11 Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery II, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: tangyujun1994@sohu.com.
  • 12 Department of Pathology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China; Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: liangsmu@foxmail.com.
  • 13 Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery II, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: pmxwxy@sohu.com.
Abstract

Sorafenib is a first-line molecular-target drug for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and reducing sorafenib resistance is an important issue to be resolved for the clinical treatment of HCC. In the current study, we identified that ABCC5 is a critical regulator and a promising therapeutic target of acquired sorafenib resistance in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The expression of ABCC5 was dramatically induced in sorafenib-resistant HCC cells and was remarkably associated with poor clinical prognoses. The down-regulation of ABCC5 expression could significantly reduce the resistance of sorafenib to HCC cells. Importantly, activation of PI3K/Akt/NRF2 axis was essential for sorafenib to induce ABCC5 expression. ABCC5 increased intracellular glutathione (GSH) and attenuated lipid peroxidation accumulation by stabilizing SLC7A11 protein, which inhibited Ferroptosis. Additionally, the inhibition of ABCC5 enhanced the anti-cancer activity of sorafenib in vitro and in vivo. These findings demonstrate a novel molecular mechanism of acquired sorafenib resistance and also suggest that ABCC5 is a new regulator of Ferroptosis in HCC cells.

Keywords

ABCC5; Acquired resistance; Ferroptosis; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Sorafenib.

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