• Tong Tong, Xing Qin, Yingying Jiang, Haiyan Guo, Xiaoning Wang, Yan Li, Fei Xie, Hao Lu, Peisong Zhai, Hailong Ma, and Jianjun Zhang.
• Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head & Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine; College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; National Center for Stomatology; National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, No. 639, Zhizaoju Rd, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China.
• Bmc Med. 2022 Jul 1; 20 (1): 231.

BackgroundCisplatin resistance is one of the main causes of treatment failure and death in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). A more comprehensive understanding of the cisplatin resistance mechanism and the development of effective treatment strategies are urgent.MethodsRNA sequencing, RT-PCR, and immunoblotting were used to identify differentially expressed genes associated with cisplatin resistance. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments were performed to detect the effect of CREB5 on cisplatin resistance and mitochondrial apoptosis in HNSCC. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and immunoblotting experiments were performed to explore the underlying mechanisms of CREB5.ResultsCREB5 was significantly upregulated in cisplatin-resistant HNSCC (CR-HNSCC) patients, which was correlated with poor prognosis. CREB5 overexpression strikingly facilitated the cisplatin resistance of HNSCC cells in vitro and in vivo, while CREB5 knockdown enhanced cisplatin sensitivity in CR-HNSCC cells. Interestingly, the activation of AKT signaling induced by cisplatin promoted nucleus translocation of CREB5 in CR-HNSCC cells. Furthermore, CREB5 transcriptionally activated TOP1MT expression depending on the canonical motif. Moreover, CREB5 silencing could trigger mitochondrial apoptosis and overcome cisplatin resistance in CR-HNSCC cells, which could be reversed by TOP1MT overexpression. Additionally, double-targeting of CREB5 and TOP1MT could combat cisplatin resistance of HNSCC in vivo.ConclusionsOur findings reveal a novel CREB5/TOP1MT axis conferring cisplatin resistance in HNSCC, which provides a new basis to develop effective strategies for overcoming cisplatin resistance.© 2022. The Author(s).

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