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Relevance of mortalin to cancer cell stemness and cancer therapy

Chae-Ok Yun1, Priyanshu Bhargava2,3, Youjin Na1

  • 1Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsinmi-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Scientific Reports
|February 7, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Mortalin protein promotes cancer stemness and resistance to chemotherapy. Reducing mortalin levels or using specific molecules sensitizes cancer cells to drugs, offering new therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Mortalin (mtHsp70) is implicated in carcinogenesis, affecting tumor suppressor p53, apoptosis, and EMT signaling.
  • Its role in cancer cell stemness and chemoresistance is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of mortalin upregulation in cancer cell stemness.
  • To evaluate the impact of mortalin on cancer cell chemoresistance.
  • To explore potential therapeutic strategies targeting mortalin.

Main Methods:

  • Overexpression of mortalin in cancer cells.
  • Knockdown of mortalin using shRNA.
  • Assessment of cancer stemness markers (ABCG2, OCT-4, CD133, ALDH1, CD9, MRP1, connexin).
  • Spheroid formation, migration assays, and drug sensitivity testing.
  • Treatment with anti-mortalin molecules (MKT-077, CAPE).

Main Results:

  • Mortalin overexpression led to increased cancer stemness markers and spheroid formation.
  • Mortalin-overexpressing cells exhibited enhanced migration and reduced sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs.
  • Knockdown of mortalin sensitized cancer cells to various drugs.
  • Anti-mortalin agents MKT-077 and CAPE sensitized cancer cells to chemotherapy.

Conclusions:

  • Mortalin upregulation contributes to cancer cell stemness and chemoresistance.
  • Targeting mortalin with specific molecules or shRNA can re-sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapy.
  • Anti-mortalin agents show potential as adjuncts in cancer chemotherapy.

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