Inhibition of KLF4 by Statins Reverses Adriamycin-Induced Metastasis and Cancer Stemness in Osteosarcoma Cells

• Main Authors: Yangling Li, Miao Xian, Bo Yang, Meidan Ying, Qiaojun He
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2017-06-01
• Series: Stem Cell Reports
• Subjects: KLF4; Adriamycin; cancer stem cells; metastasis; osteosarcoma; statins
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213671117301790

Adriamycin-based combination chemotherapy is the standard first-line treatment for osteosarcoma, but tumor recurrence and metastasis occurs in most cases. Recent evidence suggests that microenvironmental stress such as chemotherapy can lead to the enrichment of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which result in cancer metastasis, recurrence, and drug resistance. However, the exact mechanisms underlying this phenomenon and how to target CSCs are still open questions. Herein, we report that Adriamycin treatment induces a stem-like phenotype and promotes metastatic potential in osteosarcoma cells through upregulating KLF4. KLF4 knockdown blocks Adriamycin-induced stemness phenotype and metastasis capacity. We further screen that statins remarkably reverse Adriamycin-induced CSC properties and metastasis by downregulating KLF4. Most strikingly, simvastatin severely impaired Adriamycin-enhanced tumorigenesis of KHOS/NP cells in vivo. These data suggest that Adriamycin-based chemotherapeutics may simulate CSCs through activation of KLF4 signaling and that selective inhibition of KLF4 with statins should be considered in the development of osteosarcoma therapeutics.