The Hu antigen R/interferon-β axis modulates sensitivity of esophageal squamous cancer cells to cisplatin

The incidence rate of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has risen significantly in recent years. RNA binding protein (RBP) has been attracting increased attention in the treatment of ESCC. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to explore the roles of the RBP Hu antigen R (HuR) in ESCC. The mRNA levels were detected via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, while the expression levels of protein were evaluated using western blotting. Cell proliferation was estimated by cell counting kit-8 assay and colony formation assay. Flow cytometry was applied to measure cell apoptosis. Luciferase assay and RIP assay were applied to verify whether interferon-β (IFN-β) was targeted by HuR. The results unambiguously demonstrated that HuR was upregulated in ESCC. Overexpression of HuR alleviated chemosensitivity to cisplatin in ESCC cells, as evidenced by increased cell proliferation and decreased apoptosis. Moreover, IFN-β was found to be a target of HuR and downregulated in ESCC cells. And overexpression of IFN-β abrogated the effects of HuR on cisplatin-sensitivity of ESCC cells. Taken together, these findings suggested that HuR may alleviate the chemosensitivity of ESCC cells to cisplatin via binding to IFN-β. Therefore, the HuR/IFN-β axis may be a novel biomarker for improving the chemosensitivity of ESCC.