Sideroflexin 1 Detection As a Predictive and Prognostic Biomarker in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer and Its Correlation with Clinical and Pathological Parameters

Abstract BackgroundNon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remained the leading cause of cancer-associated deaths worldwide. Increasing evidence showed that sideroflexin 1 (SFXN1) may function as an essential and novel regulator in various diseases. However, its mechanism and pathological role in NSCLC remained unclear.MethodsIn this study, we recruited 237 NSCLC patients. The demographic and pathological information of NSCLC patients were recorded and analyzed. The expressions of SFXN1 in tissues and cell lines were confirmed by qRT-PCR assay. Furthermore, the diagnostic and prognostic potentials of SFXN1 in NSCLC were detected by ROC and Kaplan-Meier analysis, respectively. CCK-8, wound healing and Transwell assays determined the cell viability, apoptosis, migration and invasion of A549 cell after transfection. Finally, PCNA, Bcl-2, Bax, MMP2, and MMP9 levels after knocking down SFXN1 expression in A549 cells were detected by western blot assay.ResultsWe found that SFXN1 was significantly increased in NSCLC tumor tissues and cell lines. Up-regulated SFXN1 was associated with tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and TNM stage. The ROC analysis confirmed the high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of SFXN1 in discriminating tumor tissues from non-tumor adjacent tissues. Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that increased expression of SFXN1 might predict unfavorable prognosis and disease-free survival rate. Knockdown of SFXN1 led to increased cell apoptosis and decreased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in A549 cells. SFXN1 silencing generated decreased PCNA, Bcl-2, MMP2, MMP9 expressions, and increased Bax expression in A549 cells. ConclusionThe results in our study suggested that SFXN1 was up-regulated in NSCLC, functioning as a predictive indicator for NSCLC diagnosis and prognosis, shedding new sights for therapeutic target treatment.