C1QTNF6 regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis of NSCLC in vitro and in vivo
Objectives: Lung cancer has been reported as the leading cause of cancer-associated death in humans, and its incidence continues to increase in the world. A growing number of studies have shown that dysregulated genes are associated with the occurrence and poor prognosis of a variety of tumors, including NSCLC. C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related protein 6 (C1QTNF6), a member of the CTRP family, has been revealed to play a role in carcinogenesis and cancer progression. Nevertheless, the effects and mechanisms of C1QTNF6 in NSCLC remain unrevealed. Materials and methods: MTT and colony formation, flow cytometric and transwell assays were performed to explore the cell function. RT-PCR and western blot were used to analyze the mRNA and protein expression. Results: In this study, we found that C1QTNF6 significantly promoted the proliferation of SPCA1 and A549 cells by MTT and colony formation assays. In addition, downregulation of C1QTNF6 weakened the tumor growth in vivo. Besides, C1QTNF6 remarkably reduced apoptosis by flow cytometric analysis and TUNEL assay. Furthermore, the capability of migration and invasion was obviously enhanced when C1QTNF6 overexpression. Conclusion: Overall, our results demonstrated that inhibition of C1QTNF6 attenuated cell proliferation, migration, invasion and promoted apoptosis in vitro and in vivo of NSCLC. Based on the above results, our study provided us with a new and key perspective in understanding and treating NSCLC.