Role of the nucleotide excision repair function of CETN2 in the inhibition of the sensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma cells to oxaliplatin

Abstract Resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy agents like oxaliplatin (OXA) poses significant challenges in the treatment of cancers such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Centrin 2 (CETN2), which functions in nucleotide excision repair (NER) of DNA damage, is overexpressed in HCC. We investigated the potential role of CETN2 in modulating the sensitivity of HCC cells to OXA. CETN2 expression correlated with decreased OXA sensitivity in Huh7 and Hep3B HCC cell lines. CETN2 forms a complex with XPC, which is crucial for the initial DNA damage recognition in NER, thereby enhancing NER and reducing the efficacy of OXA. siRNA-mediated knockdown of CETN2 increased OXA-induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis, confirming its role in chemoresistance. Moreover, overexpression of CETN2 inhibited OXA-induced DNA damage, an effect partially reversed by XPC knockdown. Our findings highlight CETN2 as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in overcoming OXA resistance in HCC and suggest the possibility for CETN2 inhibitors in enhancing chemotherapeutic efficacy in the treatment of HCC.