Down-regulation of GADD45A enhances chemosensitivity in melanoma

Abstract Melanoma is a malignant skin cancer with considerable drug resistance. Increased expression of DNA repair genes have been reported in melanoma, and this contributes to chemotherapy resistance. GADD45A is involved in DNA repair, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in response to physiologic or environmental stresses. In this study, we investigated the role of GADD45A in chemotherapy response. Firstly, the mRNA expression of profiled DNA repair genes in cisplatin-treated melanoma cells was detected by RT 2 profiler TM PCR array. We found the expression of GADD45A upregulated in a dose- and time- dependent manner. In addition, suppression of GADD45A sensitized melanoma cells to cisplatin and enhanced cisplatin-induced DNA damage. Flow cytometry revealed that downregulating GADD45A released cells from cisplatin-induced G2/M arrest and increased apoptosis. By using a MEK inhibitor, GADD45A was shown to be regulated by MAPK-ERK pathway following cisplatin treatment. Thus, the induction of GADD45A might play important roles in chemotherapy response in human melanoma cancer and could serve as a novel molecular target for melanoma therapy.