Overexpression of Cathepsin L is associated with gefitinib resistance in non-small cell lung cancer

• F. Cui ^[1] ; W. Wang ^[2] ; D. Wu ^[2] ; X. He ^[2] ; J. Wu ^[2] ; M. Wang ^[2]
  1. [1] Nanfang Hospital

     Nanfang Hospital

     China

     
  2. [2] Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital

     Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital

     China

     
• Localización: Clinical & translational oncology, ISSN 1699-048X, Vol. 18, Nº. 7, 2016, págs. 722-727
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Lung cancer, the most common malignancy, is still the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80 % of all lung cancers. Recent studies showed Cathepsin L (CTSL) is overexpressed in various cancerous tissues; however, the association between CTSL expression and EGFR-TKI resistance remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the expression of CTSL in lung cancer specimens and matched normal tissues by quantitative real-time PCR and IHC. The functional role of CTSL in resistant PC-9/GR cell line was investigated by proliferation and apoptosis analysis compared with control PC-9 cells. Our results found that the level of CTSL expression was higher in NSCLC tissues compared with matched normal adjacent tissue samples, and CTSL was more highly expressed in PC-9/GR cells compared to PC-9 cells. Knocking-down of CTSL in PC-9/GR cells could decrease cell proliferation and potentiate apoptosis induced by gefitinib, suggesting CTSL may contribute to gefitinib resistance in NSCLC. CTSL might be explored as a candidate of therapeutic target for modulating EGFR-TKI sensitivity in NSCLC.