PGK1 facilities cisplatin chemoresistance by triggering HSP90/ERK pathway mediated DNA repair and methylation in endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma

Background Endometrial carcinoma represents one of the most common cancer types of the female reproductive tract. If diagnosed at an early stage, the 5-year survival rate is promising. However, recurrence and chemoresistance remain problematic for at least 15% of the patients. In the present study, we aim to reveal the mechanism by which PGK1 regulates chemoresistance in endometrial carcinoma. Methods qPCR was performed to detect expression of PGK1 in clinical tissue samples of endometrial carcinoma. Specific shRNAs were employed to knockdown PGK1 expression in endometrial cancer cell lines. MTT assay was used to evaluate cell viability and cisplatin sensitivity of endometrial carcinoma cell lines. Western blot was performed to assess the effects of PGK1 knockdown on the expression levels of HSP90, DNA repair-associated proteins (c-JUN, FOSL1, and POLD1), and DNA methylation-related enzymes (DNMT1, DNMT3A and DNMT3B). Immunoprecipitation was performed to verify direct binding between PGK1 and HSP90. Results We first showed that PGK1 expression is elevated in tumor tissues of endometrial cancer, and high PGK1 levels are associated with clinical stages and metastasis. Knockdown of PGK1 inhibits proliferation of endometrial cancer cells, and enhances the inhibitory effect of cisplatin on cell viability. In addition, knockdown of PGK1 down-regulates the expression of DNA repair-related proteins, methylation-related enzymes, and total cellular methylation level. PGK1 was next shown to interact directly with HSP90 and exhibit pro-tumor effects by modulating the ATPase activity of HSP90. Conclusions We propose that PGK1 mediates DNA repair and methylation through the HSP90/ERK pathway, and eventually enhances the chemoresistance to cisplatin. The results provide new insights on functions of PGK1 and HSP90, which might make them as promising targets for endometrial cancer chemotherapy.