miR-155 mediates drug resistance in osteosarcoma cells via inducing autophagy

Frequent acquisition of drug resistance is often associated with the chemotherapy of malignant tumors, including osteosarcoma. A number of studies have demonstrated a critical role for autophagy in osteosarcoma development, therapy and drug resistance. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the autophagy-mediated chemotherapy resistance of osteosarcoma cells remain largely unknown. In the present study, we determined the autophagy and microRNA-155 (miR-155) expression induced by chemotherapeutic drugs in osteosarcoma cells. Then we determined the promotory role of miR-155 to the chemotherapy-induced autophagy. Our results demonstrated that microRNA-155 (miR-155) expression was highly induced during chemotherapy of osteosarcoma cells, and this was accompanied by upregulated autophagy. The increased miR-155 expression levels upregulated anticancer drug-induced autophagy in osteosarcoma cells and ameliorated the anticancer drug-induced cell proliferation and viability decrease. Therefore, the results of the present study demonstrated that miR-155 mediated drug-resistance in osteosarcoma cells by inducing autophagy. The present study recognized a novel mechanism of chemoresistance in osteosarcoma cancers.