The Role of GTF2B in the Regulation of Proliferation and Apoptosis in A549 Cells

Abstract

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the role of general transcription factor 2B (GTF2B) in proliferation and apoptosis of human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. Methods: The expression of GTF2B in human lung cancer cell lines (H460, A549, H1299 and PC9) was detected by the qRT-PCR. A549 cells were infected by lentivirus carrying shRNA targeting GTF2B (shGTF2B) and control shRNA (shCtrl) for GTF2B knockdown, and the knockdown efficiency was verified by qPCR and Western blot. Cell proliferation was determined by CCK-8 assay and colony formation assay. The induction of apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry, and the related proteins were examined by Western blot. Results: GTF2B showed the highest expression in A549 cell among human lung cancer cell lines. shGTF2B efficiently reduced the mRNA and protein levels of GTF2B. Upon GTF2b silencing, cell proliferation was significantly impaired and the colony formation ability was decreased. GTF2B silencing caused a G1/S arrest in A549 cells, and led to an increased of apoptotic events, as well as the increased levels of pro-apoptotic proteins. Western blot results showed that C-JUN and mTOR protein levels in shGTF2B group were decreased, and P53, TNF-α and PTEN protein levels were increased upon GTF2B silencing. Conclusions: Taken together, our data suggest that GTF2B is required for the proliferation and survival of non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells, which may serve as a candidate for therapeutic intervention.