Lipid droplets and ferritin heavy chain: a devilish liaison in human cancer cell radioresistance.

ABSTRACT: Although much progress has been made in cancer treatment, the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer radioresistance (RR) as well as the biological signatures of radioresistant cancer cells still need to be clarified. In this regard, we discovered that breast, bladder, lung, neuroglioma, and prostate 6 Gy X-ray resistant cancer cells were characterized by an increase of lipid droplet (LD) number and that the cells containing highest LDs showed the highest clonogenic potential after irradiation. Moreover, we observed that LD content was tightly connected with the iron metabolism and in particular with the presence of the ferritin heavy chain (FTH1). In fact, breast and lung cancer cells silenced for the FTH1 gene showed a reduction in the LD numbers and, by consequence, became radiosensitiv

SUBMITTER: Tirinato L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8497056 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature