title: Acquisition of 5-fluorouracil resistance induces epithelial-mesenchymal transitions through the Hedgehog signaling pathway in HCT-8 colon cancer cells.
abstract: Colon cancer has a high incidence in individuals >60-years-old. The commonly used chemotherapeutic agent, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), has gradually lost its potency in treating colorectal cancer following the acquisition of resistance. Drug resistance is usually associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transitions (EMTs) in cancer cells. In the present study, the EMT phenotypes of two colon cancer cell lines, wild-type (HCT-8/WT) and 5-FU-resistant (HCT-8/5-FU), were characterized following the analysis of cellular migration, proliferation, morphology and molecular changes. In order to further clarify the mechanism of EMT in HCT-8/5-FU cells, the effect of EMT pathway inhibitors upon drug sensitivity was investigated. The results revealed that the Hedgehog signaling pathway inhibitor, GDC0449, reversed drug resistance. Therefore, inhibition of the Hedgehog pathway may provide a novel chemotherapeutic strategy for the treatment of patients with 5-FU-resistant colon cancer.
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yanjun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Fangfang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: DU
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qiannan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Huazhong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: Hedgehog pathway; colon cancer; epithelial-mesenchymal transition