Acquired resistance to HSP90 inhibitor 17-AAG and increased metastatic potential are associated with MUC1 expression in colon carcinoma cells

Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is a molecular chaperone required for the stability and function of many proteins. The chaperoning of oncoproteins by HSP90 enhances the survival, growth, and invasive potential of cancer cells. HSP90 inhibitors are promising new anticancer agents, in which the benzoquinone ansamycin 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG) is currently in clinical evaluation. However, the implications of acquired resistance to this class of drug remain largely unexplored. In the present study, we have generated isogenic human colon cancer cell lines that are resistant to 17-AAG by continued culturing in the compound. Cross-resistance was found with another HSP90 inhibitor 17-dimethylaminoethylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin. The resistant cells showed obvious morphology changes with a metastatic phenotype and significant increases in migration and adhesion to collagens. Western blotting analysis of epithelial–mesenchymal transition molecular markers found that expression of E-cadherin downregulated, whereas expression of N-cadherin and β-catenin upregulated in the resistant cells. Mucin 1 (MUC1) has been reported to mediate metastasis as well as chemical resistance in many cancers. Here, we found that MUC1 expression was significantly elevated in the acquired drug resistance cells. 17-AAG treatment could decrease MUC1 more in parental cells than in acquired 17-AAG-resistant cells. Further study found that knockdown of MUC1 expression by small interfering RNA could obviously re-sensitize the resistant cells to 17-AAG treatment, and decrease the cell migration and adhesion. These were coupled with a downregulation in N-cadherin and β-catenin. The results indicate that HSP90 inhibitor therapies in colon carcinomas could generate resistance and increase metastatic potential that might mediated by upregulation of MUC1 expression. Findings from this study further our understanding of the potential clinical effects of HSP90-directed therapies in colon carcinomas.

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