Department of Pathology, Hunan Provincial Brain Hospital (Second People's Hospital of Hunan Province), Hunan, China.
Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Provincial Brain Hospital (Second People's Hospital of Hunan Province), Hunan, China.
Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand). 2024 Mar 31;70(3):130-135. doi: 10.14715/cmb/2024.70.3.19.
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common malignant tumor of the head and neck. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a major player in regulating NPC transfer. There is increasing evidence that lactotransferrin (LTF) is an important regulator of EMT conversion. However, the potential role and mechanisms of LTF in regulating NPC cell EMT remain unclear. In this study, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT‒PCR) and Western blotting were applied to measure the expression of LTF in NPC cells. Subsequently, the influences of LTF on the proliferation, migration and invasion of NPC cells were verified by functional acquisition experiments. Finally, Western blotting was used to analyze the effects of EMT-related proteins and phosphoinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian rapamycin target (mTOR) signaling pathways. The data of this study indicate that LTF was underexpressed in human NPC cells, and upregulation of LTF could restrain NPC cell proliferation, invasion, migration and EMT transformation. Moreover, the effects of LTF on NPC cell metastasis and EMT are partly determined by the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. This study suggests that LTF is a potential biomarker of NPC and that LTF-mediated EMT progression plays a tumor-suppressive role in the progression of NPC metastasis.
鼻咽癌（NPC）是头颈部常见的恶性肿瘤。上皮-间充质转化（EMT）是调节 NPC 转移的主要参与者。越来越多的证据表明，乳铁蛋白（LTF）是 EMT 转化的重要调节因子。然而，LTF 调节 NPC 细胞 EMT 的潜在作用和机制尚不清楚。在本研究中，采用实时定量 PCR（qRT-PCR）和 Western blot 检测 NPC 细胞中 LTF 的表达。随后，通过功能获得实验验证了 LTF 对 NPC 细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭的影响。最后，通过 Western blot 分析 EMT 相关蛋白和磷脂酰肌醇 3-激酶（PI3K）/Akt/哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白（mTOR）信号通路的影响。本研究数据表明，LTF 在人 NPC 细胞中表达下调，上调 LTF 可抑制 NPC 细胞增殖、侵袭、迁移和 EMT 转化。此外，LTF 对 NPC 细胞转移和 EMT 的影响部分取决于 PI3K/AKT/mTOR 通路。本研究提示 LTF 是 NPC 的潜在标志物，LTF 介导的 EMT 进展在 NPC 转移进展中发挥肿瘤抑制作用。
