Short interfering RNA directed against TWIST, a novel zinc finger transcription factor, increases A549 cell sensitivity to cisplatin via MAPK/mitochondrial pathway.

Previous reports have implicated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) as a major cause of cancer. TWIST, a novel zinc finger transcription factor, was suggested to be an important inducer of EMT and therefore be involved in different phases of tumorigenicity. However, whether TWIST suppression could increase chemosensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agent remains unclear. In the present study, we utilized RNA interference to knockdown TWIST expression in A549 cells and further assessed the cell viability and apoptosis as well as possible MAPKs and mitochondrial pathways. The data showed that TWIST depletion significantly sensitized A549 cells to cisplatin by inducing activation of JNK/mitochondrial pathway but not ERK and p-38 pathways, suggesting critical roles of TWIST in A549 cell chemoresistance to cisplatin and raising the possibility of TWIST depletion as a promising approach to lung cancer therapy.