title: Nodal activates smad and extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 pathways promoting renal cell carcinoma proliferation.
abstract: Expression of the nodal gene is high in a number of tumor cell types and may promote tumor growth. The expression of lefty, an inhibitor of nodal is often reduced in tumor cells. To the best of our knowledge, few studies have investigated the expression of nodal and lefty in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells. In the present study, quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays demonstrated that the level of nodal expression in RCC cells was high compared with that of adjacent non-tumor tissue cells, while the opposite pattern was observed for the level of lefty expression. Furthermore, lefty overexpression in RCC cells inhibited the expression of nodal. Nodal overexpression promoted RCC cell proliferation and invasion, and inhibited RCC cell apoptosis. Nodal downregulation and lefty overexpression led to similar observations: The inhibition of RCC cell proliferation and invasion, and the promotion of RCC cell apoptosis. The results of the present study suggested that the expression of nodal promoted RCC growth by activating the smad and extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 pathways. The expression of lefty in RCC cells was lower than that in adjacent non-tumor cells, which may result in the overexpression of nodal, thereby promoting the growth of RCC. The results of the present study may therefore be useful for the development of novel biomarkers for RCC tumor diagnosis, and suggest a potential target gene for the treatment of RCC.
authors: Department of Urinary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116000, P.R. China.
authors: Zhiwei
authors: Z
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Urinary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116000, P.R. China.
authors: Tao
authors: T
authors: Jiang
authors: Department of Urinary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116000, P.R. China.
authors: Quanlin
authors: Q
authors: Li
authors: Department of Urinary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116000, P.R. China.
authors: Jianbo
authors: J
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Urinary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116000, P.R. China.
authors: Deyong
authors: D
authors: Yang
authors: Department of Urinary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116000, P.R. China.
authors: Xiancheng
authors: X
authors: Li
authors: Department of Urinary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116000, P.R. China.
authors: Qifei
authors: Q
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Urinary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116000, P.R. China.
authors: Xishuang
authors: X
authors: Song
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000235:genetics*; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D055458:Left-Right Determination Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000235:genetics; D055457:Nodal Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D055458:Left-Right Determination Factors; C526007:NODAL protein, human; D055457:Nodal Protein; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases