title: [Expression of endoglin in human non-small cell lung cancer and its clinical significance].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expression of endoglin (ENG) in human non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines, cancer and adjacent non-cancer tissues, and its role in NSCLC development, progression, metastasis and recurrence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five strains of NSCLC cells and one strain of normal human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells were cultured in vitro. Human NSCLC tissues and their corresponding adjacent lung tissues were taken from 22 NSCLC cases to detect the mRNA and protein levels of ENG using real-time PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Chi-square test was performed to analyze the correlations between the ENG expression and clinical data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mRNA and protein levels of ENG were up-regulated in 3 NSCLC cell strains of high metastasis. However, the expression of ENG was missing in the other low-metastatic NSCLC cell strains and the HBE cell strain. Besides, the mRNA and protein levels of ENG were up-regulated in the 19 out of 22 lung cancer tissues (86.36%), which were significantly higher than those in the adjacent non-cancer tissues (P<0.01). The over-expression of ENG was significantly correlated positively with lymph node metastasis (P<0.01), but not with age, sex, tumor size, clinical stage, pathological grade or histopathological type.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The expression of ENG in NSCLC is significantly correlated positively with lymph node metastasis, and it might be a biomarker for the metastasis and prognosis of NSCLC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital, Soochow University, Soochow 215000, China.
authors.forename: Mengmeng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shendong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Xinxin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Hongtao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chunhua
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ling
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002460:Cell Line; D000071063:Endoglin; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; C064206:ENG protein, human; D000071063:Endoglin; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface