PAK1 confers chemoresistance and poor outcome in non-small cell lung cancer via β-catenin-mediated stemness.

ABSTRACT: PAK1 confers resistance to the estrogen antagonist tamoxifen in breast cancer. However, a role for PAK1 remains to be elucidated for chemoresistance and prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We provide evidence that PAK1 confers cisplatin resistance by increasing β-catenin expression through ERK/GSK3β signaling. The increased β-catenin expression promotes sphere cell formation and expression of stemness markers and this β-catenin-induced stemness is responsible for PAK1-mediated cisplatin resistance. We enrolled 87 NSCLC patients who had received cisplatin-based chemotherapy to confirm the association between PAK1 expression and response to chemotherapy and outcomes. PAK1 expression, evaluated by immunohistochemistry, was positively correlated with pERK and β-catenin expression

SUBMITTER: Chen MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5054675 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature