Imatinib Regulates and Mitochondrial Respiratory Complexes in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors.

Metabolic adaptation to increased oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) has been found in gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) upon imatinib treatment. However, the underlying mechanism of imatinib-induced OXPHOS is unknown. Discovering molecules that mediate imatinib-induced OXPHOS may lead to the development of therapeutic strategies synergizing the efficacy of imatinib. In this study, we explored the role of microRNAs in regulating OXPHOS in GIST upon imatinib treatment. Using a microarray approach, we found that was one of the most downregulated miRNAs in imatinib-treated tumors compared to untreated tumors. Using an extended series of GIST samples, we further validated the downregulation of in imatinib-treated GIST samples by RT-qPCR. Using both gain- and loss-of-function experiments, we showed that could regulate mitochondrial respiratory Complex II expression, suggesting its role in OXPHOS regulation. Functionally, overexpression could rescue imatinib-induced cell death. These findings provide the molecular link for imatinib-induced OXPHOS expression and the biological role of in regulating cell viability upon imatinib treatment.