High Expression of CDCA7 Promotes Cell Proliferation, Migration, Invasion and Apoptosis in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Objective Increased expression of CDCA7 is associated with a poorer prognosis in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer(NSCLC). This study was performed to investigate the effects of down-regulating cell division cycle-associated 7(CDCA7) gene expression on the proliferation, migration, invasion, cell cycle and apoptosis of human NSCLC cell lines. Methods Cultured A549 and NCI-H292 cells were transfected with si NC(control group) or si CDCA7(experimental group). Cell activity was detected using the CCK-8 and a Real Time Cell Analyzer(RTCA). Cell migration and invasion were also measured by RTCA. In addition, flow cytometry was used to assess the cell cycle progression and apoptosis in the cells, and Western blotting was used to detect the expression level of proteins in key signaling pathways. Results Compared with the cells transfected with si NC, the cell proliferation was significantly reduced(P < 0.05), the migration and invasion were decreased, and the cell cycle was blocked in the G0/G1 phase(P < 0.05) in the cells transfected with si CDCA7. The number of cells undergoing apoptosis was also increased(P < 0.05). Western blotting revealed that P-ERK, Cyclin-D1, Vimentin and Bcl-2 were all downregulated. However, the expression of E-cadherin was not affected by the down-regulation of CDCA7, suggesting that it is upstream of this gene. Conclusion Silencing the CDCA7 gene inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of A549 and NCI-H292 cells, hindered the cell cycle transition to the S phase, and promoted cell apoptosis. These findings indicate that CDCA7 may represent a new therapeutic target for NSCLC.