Evaluation of the Effect of RhoB Inhibition on Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition Properties in NSCLC A549 Cells

Abstract

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a naturally occurring process during embryonic development and wound healing that is implicated in cancer progression when aberrantly reactivated. EMT has also been linked to chemotherapy resistance, anti-apoptosis, migration, and invasion of cells. It is thought to endow cancer cells with the ability to self-renew and mesenchymal properties that promote dissemination and metastasis. RhoB, a protein that binds GTP, regulates cellular processes such as cell survival, tumorigenesis, angiogenesis, migration, and metastasis. RhoB down-regulation is correlated to higher degrees of tumor progression and invasiveness. The loss of RhoB during cancer progression is thought to induce EMT by regulating the expression of certain EMT-associated transcription factors. This study aims to investigate the possible relationship between RhoB expression and the EMT characteristics of non-small cell lung cancer cells, such as in vitro migration proprieties. RhoB siRNA or All Stars siRNA negative control was transfected into A549 cells to determine whether RhoB depletion could promote EMT properties. The wound-healing assay was used for evaluating cell migration. The results demonstrate that the knockdown of RhoB promoted the migration ability of A549 cells. The current study may help to better understand the role of RhoB in EMT.

Keywords

• EMT
• RhoB siRNA
• Migration
• Wound healing assay

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