SORL1 stabilizes ABCB1 to promote cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer (OC) has the worst prognosis among gynecological malignancies. Cisplatin (CDDP) is one of the most commonly used treatments for OC, but recurrence and metastasis are common due to endogenous or acquired resistance. High expression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters is an important mechanism of resistance to OC chemotherapy, but targeting ABC transporters in OC therapy remains a challenge. The expression of sortilin-related receptor 1 (SORL1; SorLA) in the response of OC to CDDP was determined by analysis of TCGA and GEO public datasets. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting were utilized to evaluate the expression levels of SORL1 in OC tissues and cells that were sensitive or resistant to CDDP treatment. The in vitro effect of SORL1 on OC cisplatin resistance was proven by CCK-8 and cell apoptosis assays. The subcutaneous xenotransplantation model verified the in vivo significance of SORL1 in OC. Finally, the molecular mechanism by which SORL1 regulates OC cisplatin resistance was revealed by coimmunoprecipitation, gene set enrichment analysis and immunofluorescence analysis. This study demonstrated that SORL1 is closely related to CDDP resistance and predicts a poor prognosis in OC. In vivo xenograft experiments showed that SORL1 knockdown significantly enhanced the effect of CDDP on CDDP-resistant OC cells. Mechanistically, silencing of SORL1 inhibits the early endosomal antigen 1 (EEA1) pathway, which impedes the stability of ATP-binding cassette B subfamily member 1 (ABCB1), sensitizing CDDP-resistant OC cells to CDDP. The findings of this study suggest that targeting SORL1 may represent a promising therapeutic approach for overcoming CDDP resistance in OC.