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miR-137/ERRα axis mediates chemoresistance of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells

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Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling Aims and scope

Abstract

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most common malignant tumor of the head and neck region and is characterized by an increased risk of developing chemoresistance after treatment. The present study demonstrated that estrogen-related receptor α (ERRα) was upregulated in cisplatin- and fluorouracil-resistant NPC cells. In addition, ERRα knockdown or treatment of cells with the ERRα inverse agonist XCT-790 attenuated the chemoresistance of NPC cells. Mechanistically, the increased expression of ERRα in chemoresistant cells was associated with enhanced mRNA stability. Bioinformatics analysis for screening microRNAs (miRs) regulating the expression of ERRα revealed that miR-137 was downregulated in chemoresistant NPC cells. Additionally, transfection of cells with miR-137 mimics reduced ERRα mRNA stability and increased the chemosensitivity of NPC cells. Furthermore, ERRα knockdown reduced glucose consumption, and lactate and ATP production rates in chemoresistant cells. The aforementioned findings suggested that the miR-137/ERRα-mediated metabolic programming could be involved in the chemoresistance of NPC cells.

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Funding

This study was funded by the Science and Technology Foundation of Shenzhen (Grant No. JCYJ20180302144624391).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology, Shenzhen Nanshan People’s Hospital and The 6Th Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University Health Science Center, No.89 Taoyuan Road, Nanshan District, Shenzhen City, 518000, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China

    Fei Liu, Chunsheng Gao, Jing Hu, Zuofeng Huang, Meng Liang & Shuo Li

  2. Department of Emergency Intensive Care Unit, Shenzhen Nanshan People’s Hospital and The 6Th Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen City, 518000, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China

    Wenjuan Wang

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  1. Fei Liu
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  2. Chunsheng Gao
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  3. Wenjuan Wang
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  4. Jing Hu
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  5. Zuofeng Huang
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  6. Meng Liang
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  7. Shuo Li
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Correspondence to Shuo Li.

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Liu, F., Gao, C., Wang, W. et al. miR-137/ERRα axis mediates chemoresistance of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. J. Cell Commun. Signal. 16, 103–113 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12079-021-00634-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12079-021-00634-2

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