Shepherdin Affects the Biological Behavior of Rhabdomyosarcoma and Enhances its X-Ray Sensitivity

Shepherdin, a specific inhibitor of Survivin, is widely used to suppress tumor growth. However, there is little research on whether shepherdin also regulates Other biological behaviors of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) cells. Therefore, in our study, we aimed to explore the potential role of shepherdin in RMS cells. Our findings demonstrated that shepherdin significantly influences RMS cell growth, alters the Cytoskeleton, and disrupts the cell cycle progression. Specifically, shepherdin downregulates FAK expression, leading to Cytoskeleton disruption and cell cycle arrest at the G₀/G₁ and G₂/M phases. Furthermore, our subsequent results indicated that both shepherdin treatment and Survivin knockdown enhanced the sensitivity of RMS to X-ray irradiation both in vivo and in vitro. This phenomenon was evidenced by the following indicators: reduced clone formation, increased cell Apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, as well as the inhibition of tumor cell proliferation. Taken together, our study revealed that shepherdin not only modulates the biological behavior of RMS cells but also enhances their sensitivity to X-ray irradiation, demonstrating its potential as an effective therapeutic strategy for RMS.