The Hippo pathway promotes platinum-based chemotherapy by inhibiting MTF1-dependent heavy metal response

The platinum-based compounds are widely used in treating various types of cancer through their heavy metal component platinum. However, the development of chemoresistance often limits their clinical effectiveness. In this study, we report the roles of heavy metal response and its associated Hippo pathway in regulating platinum-based chemotherapy. Our data show that the MTF1-dependent heavy metal response induces cancer cell resistance to platinum-based compounds both in vitro and in vivo. This resistance is mitigated by Hippo pathway-mediated phosphorylation of MTF1. Moreover, pharmacological activation of the Hippo pathway sensitizes cancer cells to platinum-based compounds. Clinically, lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients with high MTF1 activity exhibit poor overall survival rates, and Hippo pathway inactivation is positively correlated with elevated MTF1 transcriptional activity in platinum-treated LUAD patients. Collectively, our findings not only unveil a critical role of the Hippo-MTF1 pathway in regulating the response to platinum-based chemotherapy, but also suggest new strategies to enhance its efficacy by targeting the heavy metal response.