SOX family genes play critical roles in embryonic development, cell fate determination, differentiation, and proliferation. Some members of the SOX family, including SOX2 and SOX9, have been shown as hall marks of lung cancers. However, their roles in lung cancer formation or progression still need to be explored. Here we show an unique expression pattern of SOX2 and SOX9 in lung cancer cells. Using a series of previously established lung adenocarcinoma cell sub-lines which were sequentially selected for increasing cell invasiveness, we found that SOX9 was abundant in highly tumorigenic and invasive sub-lines whereas absent in less tumorigenic and low invasive ones. Interestingly, SOX2 and SOX9 were mutually exclusively expressed among those sub-lines. Forced expression and gene silencing experiments in those cell lines indicated that, while SOX9 is important for cancer cell proliferation, SOX2 is involved in regulation of cell invasion. The involvoed molecular pathways subject to regulations by SOX9 and SOX2 have been partially elucidated and will be demonstrated.
Date:
2012-04
Relation:
Cancer Research. 2012 Apr;72:Abstract number 1292.
