Tie W, Ge F. Lymphoid-specific helicase inhibits cervical cancer cells ferroptosis by promoting Nrf2 expression.
PeerJ 2023;
11:e16451. [PMID:
38047020 PMCID:
PMC10691353 DOI:
10.7717/peerj.16451]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background
Cervical cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in women worldwide. The underlying mechanisms of its progression are not well understood. In this study, we investigated the role of lymphoid-specific helicase (HELLS) in cervical cancer.
Methods
We measured HELLS expression in cervical cancer and assessed its function using gain- and loss-of-function experiments. Cell viability was measured using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8 ) assay, and cell proliferation was analyzed using colony formation and EdU assays.
Results
We found that HELLS was significantly increased in cervical cancer and that its overexpression promoted cell viability (P < 0.01) and colony formation (P < 0.001). In contrast, si-HELLS suppressed these effects. Moreover, HELLS overexpression inhibited cell death induced by the ferroptosis inducer erastin (P < 0.01). Mechanistically, we found that HELLS promoted cervical cancer proliferation by regulating nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-mediated ferroptosis.
Conclusion
Our data suggest that HELLS promotes cervical cancer proliferation by inhibiting Nrf2 expression. Therefore, HELLS knockdown may be an effective treatment for cervical cancer.
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