OncoTargets and Therapy (Apr 2020)
Mitofusin1 Is a Major Mediator in Glucose-Induced Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition in Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells
Abstract
Xingyuan Liu,1 Chuang Feng,2 Guohua Wei,1 Wencong Kong,1 Hai Meng,3 Yaqin Du,3 Jingyuan Li4 1Pathology Department, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning 121001, People’s Republic of China; 2Science and Technology Department, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning 121001, People’s Republic of China; 3Clinicopathological Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning 121001, People’s Republic of China; 4Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning 121001, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jingyuan LiFaculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning Province 121001, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/ Fax +86-416-4145198Email [email protected]: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been considered a latent mediator of diverse biological processes in cancer. However, the mechanisms involved in high glucose-associated EMT in lung adenocarcinoma (LAD) have not been fully clarified. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether mitofusin1 (MFN1) is involved in the EMT of LAD cells induced by glucose and to identify the molecular mechanism involved in this process.Materials and Methods: The expression of specific proteins was analysed by Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence analysis. The proliferation, migration and invasion of cells were assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8, bromodeoxyuridine incorporation, wound-healing and transwell assays. Lung tissues of adjacent normal regions and lung tissues from patients with LAD and LAD combined with diabetes mellitus were collected to determine the expression and significance of MFN1.Results: Here, we showed that the expression of MFN1 was increased in LAD tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues and expression was even higher in lung tissues from patients with LAD combined with diabetes. In the lung cancer cell line A549, increased cell proliferation, invasion and EMT induced by high glucose were inhibited by MFN1 silencing. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that inhibiting autophagy reversed the abnormal EMT triggered by high glucose conditions. In addition, our data provide novel evidence demonstrating that PTEN-induced kinase (Pink) is a potential regulator involved in MFN1-mediated cell autophagy, which eventually leads to high glucose-induced proliferation, invasion and EMT of A549 cells.Conclusion: Taken together, our data show that MFN1 interacts with Pink to induce the autophagic process and that the abnormal occurrence of autophagy ultimately contributes to glucose-induced pathological EMT in LAD.Keywords: lung adenocarcinoma, glucose, mitofusin1, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, autophagy
