B-cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 knockdown impairs adriamycin resistance of gastric cancer cells

Background and study aims

The B-cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 (BMI-1) is associated with the progression of gastric cancer (GC). However, its role in drug resistance of gastric cancer stem cell (GCSC) remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the biological function of BMI-1 in GC cells and its role in drug resistance of GCSCs.

Patients and methods

We assessed BMI-1 expression in the GEPIA database and in our collected samples from patients with GC. We silenced BMI-1 using siRNA to study the cell proliferation and migration of GC cells. We also used Hoechst 33342 staining to verify the effect of adriamycin (ADR) on side population (SP) cells, and measured the effects of BMI-1 on the expression of N-cadherin, E-cadherin, and drug-resistance-related proteins (multidrug resistance mutation 1 and lung resistance-related protein). Finally, we analyzed BMI-1-related proteins uing the STRING and GEPIA databases.

Results

BMI-1 mRNA was upregulated in GC tissues and cell lines, especially in MKN-45 and HGC-27 cells. Silencing BMI-1 reduced the proliferation and migration of GC cells. Knocking down BMI-1 significantly decreased epithelial-mesenchymal transition progression, expression levels of drug-resistant proteins, and the number of SP cells in ADR-treated GC cells. Bioinformatics analysis showed that EZH2, CBX8, CBX4, and SUZ12 were positively correlated with BMI-1 in GC tissues.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates that BMI-1 affects the cellular activity, proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells. Silencing the BMI-1 gene significantly reduces the number of SP cells and the expression of drug-resistant proteins in ADR-treated GC cells. We speculate that inhibition of BMI-1 increases the drug resistance of GC cells by affecting GCSCs, and that EZH2, CBX8, CBX4, and SUZ12 may participate in BMI-1-induced enhancement of GCSC-like phenotype and viability.