HnRNPAB is an independent prognostic factor in non‑small cell lung cancer and is involved in cell proliferation and metastasis

Qinrong Wang  ^{1   2} , Xuanjing Gou  ^{1   2} , Lingling Liu  ^{1   2} , Ting Zhang  ^{1   2} , Hang Yuan  ³ , Yan Zhao  ^{1   2} , Yuan Xie  ^{1   2} , Jianjiang Zhou  ^{1   2} , Kewei Song  ^{1   2   4}

Affiliations

Affiliations

• ¹ Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Guizhou Medical University, Ministry of Education, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P.R. China.
• ² Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P.R. China.
• ³ DNA Laboratory, Forensic Center of Public Security of Xiangyang, Xiangyang, Hubei 441000, P.R. China.
• ⁴ Department of Sport and Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P.R. China.

• PMID: 37153057
• PMCID: PMC10157350
• DOI: 10.3892/ol.2023.13801

Free PMC article

Abstract

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A/B (hnRNPAB) is an RNA binding protein that is closely associated with the biological function and metabolism of RNA, which is involved in the malignant transformation of various tumor cells. However, the role and mechanisms of hnRNPAB in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are still unclear. In the present study, the expression levels of hnRNPAB in NSCLC and normal tissues were analyzed using the human protein atlas database and UALCAN database. The clinical significance of hnRNPAB was assayed using the data of NSCLC cases from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Subsequently, two stable NSCLC cell lines with hnRNPAB knockdown were constructed and the effects of hnRNPAB silencing on cell viability, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were identified. Genes associated with hnRNPAB expression in NSCLC were screened using the Linked Omics database and verified by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). The database analysis indicated that hnRNPAB was mainly expressed in the nucleus of NSCLC cells. Compared with the normal tissues, hnRNPAB expression was overexpressed in NSCLC tissues and was closely associated with the overall survival, sex, tumor-node-metastases classification, and poor prognosis of patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Functionally, knockdown of hnRNPAB inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of NSCLC cells and arrested the cell cycle at G₁ phase. Mechanistically, the bioinformatics analysis and RT-qPCR verification demonstrated that hnRNPAB knockdown led to a significant expression change of genes associated with tumorigenesis. In conclusion, the present study indicated that hnRNPAB played an important role in the malignant transformation of NSCLC, supporting the significance of hnRNPAB as a novel potential therapeutic target for the early diagnosis and prognosis of NSCLC.

Keywords: RNA binding protein; cell proliferation; heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A/B; metastasis; non-small cell lung cancer.