TP53 gene status is a critical determinant of phenotypes induced by ALKBH3 knockdown in non-small cell lung cancers

•ALKBH3 knockdown induces cell cycle arrest or apoptosis in NSCLC cells.•DNA damage signaling is increased by ALKBH3 knockdown in TP53-knockout A549 cells.•TP53 is a key factor that determines phenotypes of ALKBH3-knockdown NSCLC cells.

Human AlkB homolog 3 (ALKBH3) is overexpressed in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) and its high expression is significantly correlated with poor prognosis. While ALKBH3 knockdown induces apoptosis in NSCLC cells, the underlying anti-apoptotic mechanisms of ALKBH3 in NSCLC cells remain unclear. Here we show that ALKBH3 knockdown induces cell cycle arrest or apoptosis depending on the TP53 gene status in NSCLC cells. In comparison to parental cells, TP53-knockout A549 cells showed DNA damage-responsive signal induced by ALKBH3 knockdown. TP53 knockout shifted the phenotypes of A549 cells induced by ALKBH3 knockdown from cell cycle arrest to apoptosis induction, suggesting that the TP53 gene status is a critical determinant of the phenotypes induced by ALKBH3 knockdown in NSCLC cells.