Inhibition of lysine-specific demethylase 1 prevents proliferation and mediates cisplatin sensitivity in ovarian cancer cells

Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) functions as a transcriptional coregulator by modulating histone methylation and has been associated with numerous high-risk cancers. Previously, our group and others identified LSD1 as an upregulated gene in ovarian cancer, and reported that the upregulation of LSD1 was associated with poor prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer. However, the role of LSD1 in ovarian cancer requires further investigation. The present study revealed that the overexpression of LSD1 significantly promoted the proliferation of SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells, while knockdown of LSD1 markedly inhibited cell proliferation and potentiated cisplatin-induced cell apoptosis, supporting LSD1 as an oncogenic protein in ovarian cancer. Mechanistic studies have indicated that LSD1 modulates the expression of cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 1, Survivin, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X genes, which are known regulators of cell proliferation. Furthermore, LSD1 knockdown plus cisplatin synergistically impaired cell migration via the induction of the epithelial marker E-cadherin and inhibition of the mesenchymal markers, snail family transcriptional repressor 1 and Vimentin. These data of the present study indicated LSD1 as a potential regulator of ovarian cancer cell progression and suggested an unfavorable role of LSD1 in cisplatin-based regimens.