title: Down-regulating overexpressed human Lon in cervical cancer suppresses cell proliferation and bioenergetics.
abstract: The human mitochondrial ATP-dependent Lon protease functions in regulating the metabolism and quality control of proteins and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). However, the role of Lon in cancer is not well understood. Therefore, this study was undertaken to investigate the importance of Lon in cervical cancer cells from patients and in established cell lines. Microarray analysis from 30 cancer and 10 normal cervical tissues were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for Lon protein levels. The expression of Lon was also examined by immunoblotting 16 fresh cervical cancer tissues and their respective non-tumor cervical tissues. In all cases, Lon expression was significantly elevated in cervical carcinomas as compared to normal tissues. Augmented Lon expression in tissue microarrays did not vary between age, tumor-node-metastasis grades, or lymph node metastasis. Knocking down Lon in HeLa cervical cancer cells by lentivrial transduction resulted in a substantial decrease in both mRNA and protein levels. Such down-regulation of Lon expression significantly blocked HeLa cell proliferation. In addition, knocking down Lon resulted in decreased cellular bioenergetics as determined by measuring aerobic respiration and glycolysis using the Seahorse XF24 extracellular flux analyzer. Together, these data demonstrate that Lon plays a potential role in the oncogenesis of cervical cancer, and may be a useful biomarker and target in the treatment of cervical cancer. Lon; immunohistochemistry; cervical cancer; cell proliferation; cellular bioenergetics.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education of China, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China ; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, United States of America.
authors.forename: Xiaobo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Yuxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Linhua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jianxin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D019069:Cell Respiration / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006019:Glycolysis / Q000235:genetics; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D049070:Protease La / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D049070:Protease La