The study presented here investigates the effect of HMGB1 knockout on the sensitivity of mouse embryonic fibroblasts treated with the anticancer drug cisplatin. We evaluated both the growth inhibition by cisplatin and cisplatin-induced cell death in the Hmgb1 ؊/؊ cells and its wild-type counterpart. No significant differences were observed in the responses of these cells to cisplatin, indicating that HMGB1 does not play a significant role in modulating the cellular responses to cisplatin in this context. Since HMGB1 significantly enhances the cytotoxicity of cisplatin in other cells, these results illustrate the importance of cell type in determining the ability of this and probably other cisplatin-DNA-binding proteins to influence the efficacy of the drug.cis-Diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (cisplatin) 1 is one of the most widely used anticancer drugs for the treatment of a variety of human malignancies (1). Whereas cisplatin is extremely effective in treating testicular cancer, the cure rate being Ͼ90% when tumors are promptly diagnosed (2), the curative potential of the drug against other tumors, such as ovarian, breast, and lung cancers, is significantly undermined by intrinsic and acquired resistance (3). Determining the factors that influence cellular sensitivity to cisplatin is thus important for understanding the anticancer activity of cisplatin and for developing a more effective platinum-based chemotherapy.The cytotoxicity of cisplatin arises from its ability to react with DNA and form covalent DNA adducts (4). The major adducts, 1,2-intrastrand d(GpG) and d(ApG) platinum-DNA cross-links, are formed by coordination of the {Pt(NH 3 ) 2 } 2ϩ moiety to the N 7 atoms of adjacent purines in double-stranded DNA. The cisplatin modification produces distinct changes in the architecture of the DNA duplex that inhibit replication and transcription and stimulate nucleotide excision repair (1). Cisplatin damage throughout the genome leads to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis (5). Moreover, cisplatin-DNA adducts are recognized by a variety of cellular proteins, a process that may affect the fate of platinum-DNA lesions and the responsiveness of tumor cells to cisplatin treatment (6, 7). Recognition of cisplatin-modified DNA by damage recognition proteins in the nucleotide excision repair pathway leads to the removal of platinum lesions and restoration of genomic integrity. Studies have suggested that increase in the repair of platinum-DNA adducts is key to cisplatin resistance (3). Several proteins not involved in repair, including HMGB1, TATA-binding protein, and other structure-specific recognition proteins, also bind tightly to the major platinum-DNA adducts (1). The role that these proteins might play in mediating the cytotoxicity of cisplatin is a subject of much current interest. One hypothesis, which has been proposed in various studies, suggests that the binding of these proteins to platinum-DNA adducts blocks the removal of DNA lesions, thereby enhancing the sensitivity of cells to cisplatin (8 -14). This model...