Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of medicine, ShenZhen University, Shen Zhen, China.
J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2012 Mar 3;31(1):18. doi: 10.1186/1756-9966-31-18.
Sex determining region Y (SRY)-related high mobility groupbox 9 (SOX9) is an important transcription factor required for development, which regulates the expression of target genes in the associated pathway. The aim of this study was to describe the expression of SOX9 in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to investigate the association between SOX9 expression and progression of NSCLC.
SOX9 protein and mRNA expression in normal human pneumonocytes, lung cancer cell lines, and eight pairs of matched lung cancer tissues and their adjacent normal lung tissues were detected by Western blotting and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Immunohistochemistry was used to determine SOX9 protein expression in 142 cases of histologically characterized NSCLC. Statistical analyses were applied to test for prognostic and diagnostic associations.
SOX9 in lung cancer cell lines was upregulated at both mRNA and protein levels, and SOX9 mRNA and protein were also elevated in NSCLC tissues compared with levels in corresponding adjacent non-cancerous lung tissues. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated a high expression of SOX9 in 74/142 (52.1%) paraffin-embedded archival lung cancer biopsies. Statistical analysis indicated that upregulation of SOX9 was significantly correlated with the histological stage of NSCLC (P=0.017) and that patients with a high SOX9 level exhibited a shorter survival time (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis illustrated that SOX9 upregulation might be an independent prognostic indicator for the survival of patients with NSCLC.
This work shows that SOX9 may serve as a novel and prognostic marker for NSCLC, and play a role during the development and progression of the disease.
Y 染色体性别决定区相关高迁移率族框 9（SOX9）是发育所必需的重要转录因子，其调节相关通路中靶基因的表达。本研究旨在描述 SOX9 在人非小细胞肺癌（NSCLC）中的表达，并探讨 SOX9 表达与 NSCLC 进展之间的关系。
采用 Western blot 和实时逆转录-聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）检测正常人类肺细胞、肺癌细胞系以及 8 对配对的肺癌组织及其相应的癌旁正常肺组织中 SOX9 蛋白和 mRNA 的表达。免疫组织化学法检测 142 例组织学特征明确的 NSCLC 中 SOX9 蛋白的表达。应用统计学分析检测 SOX9 表达与预后和诊断的相关性。
肺癌细胞系中 SOX9 的 mRNA 和蛋白水平均上调，与相应的癌旁正常肺组织相比，NSCLC 组织中 SOX9 mRNA 和蛋白水平也升高。免疫组织化学分析显示，在 142 例石蜡包埋的 NSCLC 活检组织中，有 74/142（52.1%）高表达 SOX9。统计学分析表明，SOX9 的上调与 NSCLC 的组织学分期显著相关（P=0.017），SOX9 水平高的患者生存时间较短（P<0.001）。多变量分析表明，SOX9 上调可能是 NSCLC 患者生存的独立预后指标。
本研究表明，SOX9 可能作为 NSCLC 的新型预后标志物，并在疾病的发生和发展中发挥作用。
