WDR62 mediates MAPK/ERK pathway to stimulate DNA damage repair and attenuate cisplatin sensitivity in lung adenocarcinoma

Chemotherapy resistance has long stood in the way of therapeutic advancement for lung cancer patients, the malignant tumor with the highest incidence and fatality rate in the world. Patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) now have a dismal prognosis due to the development of cisplatin (DDP) resistance, forcing them to use more costly second-line therapies. Therefore, overcoming resistance and enhancing patient outcomes can be achieved by comprehending the regulatory mechanisms of DDP resistance in LUAD. WD repeat domain 62 (WDR62) expression in LUAD tissues and in DDP-resistant or sensitive LUAD patients was analyzed bioinformatically, and a K-M plot was utilized to assess survival status. Real-time quantitative PCR was employed for WDR62 expression detection, cell-counting kit-8 assay for half maximal inhibitory concentration determination, flow cytometry for cell apoptosis detection, immunofluorescence for γ-H2AX expression analysis, and western blot for nonhomologous end joining repair and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway-related protein expression analysis. Poor prognosis was linked to WDR62, which was overexpressed in LUAD tissues and cells. Compared to sensitive cells, DDP-resistant cells had increased WDR62 expression. WDR62 knockdown may enhance DDP-induced cell apoptosis while reducing cell proliferation and DNA damage repair. Functional investigations verified that overexpressed WDR62’s encouraging impact on DNA damage repair in A549/DDP cells could be reversed by MAPK inhibitors, increasing the cells’ susceptibility to DDP. LUAD cells became less sensitive to DDP when WDR62 activated the MAPK/ERK pathway, which promoted DNA damage repair, indicating that DDP resistance might be reversed by treating LUAD with inhibitors of the MAPK pathway.