Overexpression of long non-coding RNA PVT1 in ovarian cancer cells promotes cisplatin resistance by regulating apoptotic pathways

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. Cisplatin is a very effective cancer chemotherapy drug, but cisplatin resistance is a crucial problem of therapy failure. Overexpression of PVT1 has been demonstrated in ovarian cancer. The mRNA level of PVT1 in ovarian cancer tissues of cisplatin-resistant patients and cisplatin-sensitive patients, cisplatin-resistant cells SKOV-3/DDP and A2780/DDP, cisplatin-sensitive cells SKOV-3 and A2780 were determined by qRT-PCR. The influence of the knockdown or overexpression of PVT1 on cisplatin resistance was measured by measuring the cytotoxicity of cisplatin and the apoptotic rate of ovarian cancer cells was detected by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The mRNA levels and protein expression of TGF-β1, Smad4, p-Smad4 and Caspase-3 in apoptotic pathways were determined. The mRNA level of PVT1 was significantly higher in ovarian cancer tissues of cisplatin-resistant patients and cisplatin-resistant cells. SKOV-3/DDP and A2780/DDP cell viability and the percentage of apoptotic cells after transfection with PVT-1 siRNA and treated with cisplatin was markedly lower and higher than the control, respectively. Moreover, the overexpression of PVT1 exhibited the anti-apoptotic property in SKOV-3 and A2780 cells after transfection with LV-PVT1-GFP and treated with cisplatin. The mRNA levels and protein expression of TGF-β1, p-Smad4 and Caspase-3 were much higher in cisplatin-resistant cells transfected with siPVT1. Overexpression of LncRNA PVT1 in ovarian cancer promotes cisplatin resistance by regulating apoptotic pathways.