Mitochondrial fission causes cisplatin resistance under hypoxic conditions via ROS in ovarian cancer cells

Oncogene. 2019 Nov;38(45):7089-7105. doi: 10.1038/s41388-019-0949-5. Epub 2019 Aug 13.

Abstract

Mitochondria undergo fission and fusion continually for survival through the course of cellular adaption processes in response to changes in the surrounding environment. Dysregulated mitochondrial dynamics has been reported in various diseases including cancer. Under hypoxic conditions (<1% O2), the relationship between mitochondrial dynamics and sensitivity to cisplatin (CDDP) was examined in ovarian cancer cells. We found that hypoxia promoted mitochondrial fission and CDDP resistance in ovarian cancer cells. Hypoxia-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) caused an increase in mitochondrial fission, a response abolished by free radical scavenging with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and Trolox. Also, treatment of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) decreased inhibitory p-Drp1 (Ser637) content and increased mitochondrial fission. Suppression of mitochondrial fission enhanced the CDDP sensitivity of hypoxic ovarian cancer cells. Lastly, in tumor spheroids from malignant ascites or tissues of patients with advanced-stage ovarian cancer, pretreatment with Mdivi-1 increased the CDDP sensitivity. Taken together, our results implicate that hypoxia-induced ROS trigger mitochondrial fission and CDDP resistance through downregulation of p-Drp1 (Ser637) and Mfn1 in ovarian cancer cells. Inhibition of Drp1 by Mdivi-1 treatment or si-Drp1 transfection increased CDDP sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells under hypoxia. Therefore, mitochondrial dynamics of cancer cells adapting to the hypoxic tumor microenvironment could be a potential target for anticancer therapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Apoptosis
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cisplatin / pharmacology*
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / drug effects*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hypoxia / physiopathology*
  • Mitochondria / drug effects
  • Mitochondria / metabolism
  • Mitochondria / pathology*
  • Mitochondrial Dynamics*
  • Mitochondrial Proteins / genetics
  • Mitochondrial Proteins / metabolism
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / genetics
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Quinazolinones / pharmacology
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • Tumor Microenvironment
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / genetics
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / metabolism

Substances

  • 3-(2,4-dichloro-5-methoxyphenyl)-2-sulfanyl-4(3H)-quinazolinone
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Mitochondrial Proteins
  • Quinazolinones
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • TP53 protein, human
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53
  • Cisplatin