Expression level and function of MEX3A in non-small cell lung cancer / 中国肿瘤临床

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the expression of MEX3A in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and the effects of MEX3A knockout on cell cycle, proliferation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis. Methods: We screened out MEX3A, which was significantly highly expressed, by mRNA microarray and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database information analysis. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression level of MEX3A in NSCLC cells. A549 and NCI-H292 cells showed high expression of MEX3A. RNA interference (RNAi) method was used to silence MEX3A in A549 and NCI-H292 cells. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and Transwell assays were used to determine the effects of MEX3A knockout on proliferation, invasion, and migration in NSCLC cells. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the effects of MEX3A knockout on cell cycle and apoptosis. Results: A549 and NCI-H292 cells showed high expression of MEX3A. After silencing MEX3A, the proliferation, invasion, and migration of NSCLC cells were significantly decreased, while the cell cycle was blocked at G2/M phase and its apoptotic ability was weakened. Conclusions: MEX3A may play an important role as an oncogene in the growth and proliferation of NSCLC cells.