Up-regulation of oxysterol-binding protein 3 in lung tissue of patients with non-small lung cancer

Abstract

BackgroundLung cancer is one of the most common types of fatal malignancies. Despite the remarkable advances in diagnosis and treatment approaches, most of the cases detected in late stages. Discovering novel markers to recognizing cancer in early stages require a deep understanding of molecular mechanisms. OSBPL3, the molecule belongs to the oxysterol-binding proteins (OSBP) family, involved in lipid metabolism and sterol transport; however, recent evidence considers the role of members of this family in cancer pathogenesis. We aimed to investigate the expression level of OSBPL3 in the tumor tissues of NSCLC patients. MethodsBy bronchoscopy procedure, 45 lung tissue samples including 25 cancerous and 20 non-cancerous control lung tissues were collected. The total RNA of them was extracted and then cDNA synthesized. Assessment of the OSBPL3 expression level was performed utilizing qRT-PCR. ResultsThe significant increased mRNA expression level of OSBPL3 was observed in NSCLC tissues compared to the control of non-cancerous tissues (fold change = +2.38, P < 0.05). Moreover, ROC Curve analysis of this gene showed that OSBPL3 is the potential gene to be used as a biomarker for NSCLC diagnosis. ConclusionOur data revealed the oncogenic function of OSBPL3 in NSCLC tissues. In case of confirmation of future studies, the mRNA expression level of OSBPL3 can be used as a biomarker for NSCLC diagnosis.