Abstract:

Abstract:Objective To investigate the expression of zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1(ZEB1) in lung squamous cell carcinoma,and  to analyze the relationship between the ZEB1 mRNA and protein expression levels and invasion and metastasisof lung squamous cell carcinoma. Methods 45 patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma performed surgical operation excision were chosen. According to the distance from the tumor tissue, lung squamous cell carcinoma tissue and adjacent normal lung tissue were selected, RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the ZEB1 mRNA and protein expressions in lung squamous cell carcinoma and adjacent normal lung tissues, and the relationship between the clinical pathological features of lung squamous cell carcinoma and ZEB1 mRNA and protein expressions were analyzed. ZEB1 specific siRNA vector was constructed, then NCI-H2170 cells were infected, meanwhile untransfected group, control group and ZEB1siRNA transfected group were set up. Western blotting was performed to detect the interference effect, and then through the Transwell chamber the changes of NCI-H2170 cell invasion ability were observed. Results The positive mRNA expression rate of ZEB1 in lung squamous cell carcinoma tissues was significantly higher than that in normal lung tissue (P<0.05). The positive mRNA expression rates in the carcinoma tissues from the patients with positive lymph node or distant metastasis were significantly higher than those from the  patients without lymph node or distant metastasis(P<0.05). However, the expression of ZEB1 had no correlation with gender, age, tumor size, or tumor differentiation level of the patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma(P>0.05). The protein expression of ZEB1 was similar to the mRNA expression of ZEB1. The protein expression of ZEB1 in lung squamous cell carcinoma tissue was significantly higher than that in normal lung tissue (P<0.05). The protein expression level of ZEB1 in the carcinoma tissue from the patients with positive lymph nodes or distant metastasis was significantly higher than that from the patients without lymph nodes or distant metastasis (P<0.05). Reducing the protein expression of ZEB1 in NCI-H2170 cells, the number of cells that passed through the Transwell chamber was significantly lower than that in non-transfected control group as well as transfected control group (P<0.05). Conclusion ZEB1 displays a high expression in lung squamous cell carcinoma  tissue, and their expression changes are associated with the pathological features of lung squamous cell carcinoma;By RNA interference effectively silencing ZEB1 gene in NCI-H2170 cells, knockdown of ZEB1 could significantly reduce the invasion and metastasis ability of NCI-H2170 cells, suggesting that ZEB1 play an important role in lung carcinogenesis and development, and inhibition of ZEB1 expression might become a kind of method for treating lung cancer.

Key words: zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1;lung neoplasms;carcinoma, squamous cell;RNAi