Mitochondria are the major organelles in sensing cellular stress and inducing the response for cell survival. Mitochondrial Lon has been identified as an important stress protein involved in regulating proliferation, metastasis, and apoptosis in cancer cells. However, the mechanism of retrograde signaling by Lon on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage remains to be elucidated. Here we report the role of Lon in the response to cisplatin-induced mtDNA damage and oxidative stress, which confers cancer cells on cisplatin resistance via modulating calcium levels in mitochondria and cytosol. First, we found that cisplatin treatment on oral cancer cells caused oxidative damage of mtDNA and induced Lon expression. Lon overexpression in cancer cells decreased while Lon knockdown sensitized the cytotoxicity towards cisplatin treatment. We further identified that cisplatin-induced Lon activates the PYK2-SRC-STAT3 pathway to stimulate Bcl-2 and IL-6 expression, leading to the cytotoxicity resistance to cisplatin. Intriguingly, we found that activation of this pathway is through an increase of intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺) via NCLX, a mitochondrial Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger. We then verified that NCLX expression is dependent on Lon levels; Lon interacts with and activates NCLX activity. NCLX inhibition increased the level of mitochondrial calcium and sensitized the cytotoxicity to cisplatin in vitro and in vivo. In summary, mitochondrial Lon-induced cisplatin resistance is mediated by calcium release into cytosol through NCLX, which activates calcium-dependent PYK2-SRC-STAT3-IL-6 pathway. Thus, our work uncovers the novel retrograde signaling by mitochondrial Lon on resistance to cisplatin-induced mtDNA stress, indicating the potential use of Lon and NCLX inhibitors for better clinical outcomes in chemoresistant cancer patients.

Resistin (Rstn) is known as an adipocyte-specific secretory factor that can cause insulin resistance and decrease adipocyte differentiation. Conversely, based on various studies, insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) can improve insulin resistance and stimulate adipocyte adipogenesis. Whether IGFs exert their effects through the control of Rstn's production or modulation of Rstn's action is unknown. This study was designed to examine the influence and the signaling of IGF-I on Rstn gene expression and protein secretion by 3T3-L1 adipocytes. We found that IGF-I suppressed Rstn mRNA expression and protein release in dose- and time-dependent manners. The IC₅₀ of IGF-I was ∼1 nM for a range of 6–10 h of treatment. Treatment with cycloheximide, but not with actinomycin D, prevented IGF-I-suppressed Rstn mRNA expression, suggesting that IGF-I destabilizes Rstn mRNA and that IGF-I's effect requires new protein, but not mRNA, synthesis. Pretreatment with IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) antibody blocked IGF-I-altered IGF-IR activity and Rstn mRNA levels. Neither PD-98059, SB-203580, nor LY-294002 changed the IGF-I-decreased levels of Rstn mRNA, but they inhibited IGF-I-stimulated activities of MEK1, p38 MAPK, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase, respectively. However, SB-203580 antagonized the IGF-I-decreased Rstn protein release. These data demonstrate that IGF-I downregulates Rstn gene expression via IGF-IR-dependent and MEK1-, p38 MAPK-, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-independent pathways and likely modifies the distribution of Rstn protein between the intracellular and extracellular compartments via a p38 MAPK-dependent pathway. Decreases in Rstn production and secretion induced by IGF-I may be related to the mechanism by which IGF-I modulates body weight and diabetes in animals.