Identification of genes involved in enhancement of hyperthermia sensitivity by knockdown of BAG3 in human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells

Hyperthermia (HT) treatments in combination with either chemotherapy, radiotherapy or both are used for patients with cancer in various organs. However, the acquisition of thermotolerance in cancer cells due to the increase in cytoprotective proteins attenuates the therapeutic effects of HT. BAG3 (BCL2-associated athanogene 3) is a cytoprotective protein that acts against various stresses including heat stress. Recently, we demonstrated that the inhibition of BAG3 improves cell death sensitivity to HT in cancer cells. However, a detailed molecular mechanism involved in the enhancement of HT sensitivity by BAG3-knockdown (KD) in cancer cells is unclear.

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Yunoki T, Tabuchi Y, Hayashi A, Kondo T