Overexpression of HCC1/CAPERα may play a role in lung cancer carcinogenesis

Abstract

HCC1/CAPERα is considered to be a novel human tumor-associated antigen, and the tumor-specific immunity of HCC1/CAPERα has been reported in several types of cancer. However, there was very limited evidence indicating its function in tumorigenesis. In the present study, to elucidate the roles and underlying molecular mechanism of HCC1/CAPERα in lung cancer, we examined the expression of HCC1/CAPERα in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line and NSCLC tissue microarray (TMA). Immunohistochemistry with TMA was performed to detect HCC1/CAPERα expression in NSCLC and adjacent lung tissues. NSCLC cell line constitutively transfected by pcDNA3.1-HCC1/CAPERα, and empty pcDNA3.1 vector were used. These cells were analyzed by Western blot, MTT, immunofluorescence, wound healing assay, and transwell assays. It was found that HCC1/CAPERα was mainly localized in the nucleus of the lung cancer cells and overexpression of HCC1/CAPERα may promote lung cancer cells proliferation and increase cells migration. The frequency of HCC1/CAPERα expression in NSCLC tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent and normal tissues (P < 0.01). Our data suggest that overexpression of HCC1/CAPERα may increase the proliferation and migration of NSCLC cells, and HCC1/CAPERα could be a promising biomarker for lung cancer.