Silencing HMGN5 suppresses cell growth and promotes chemosensitivity in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Previous study has demonstrated that high mobility group nucleosome-binding domain 5 (HMGN5) is involved in tumorigenesis and the development of multidrug resistance in several human cancers. However, the role of HMGN5 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. Here, we showed that HMGN5 was significantly upregulated in ESCC cells. Knockdown of HMGN5 significantly inhibited cell growth and induced cell apoptosis of ESCC cells. Moreover, knockdown of HMGN5 increased the sensitivity of ESCC cells towards cisplatin. By contrast, overexpression of HMGN5 showed the opposite effects. Further experiments demonstrated that HMGN5 regulated the expression of multidrug resistance 1, cyclin B1, and Bcl-2. Overall, our results reveal that HMGN5 promotes tumor progression of ESCC and is also an important regulator of chemoresistance. Our study suggests that inhibition of HMGN5 may be a potential strategy for improving effectiveness of ESCC treatment.