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Simvastatin downregulates expression of TGF-βRII and inhibits proliferation of A549 cells via ERK

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Tumor Biology

Abstract

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Transforming growth factor-β receptor II (TGF-βRII) plays an important role in the regulation of proliferation and progression in cancer. Statins have been documented to exhibit anticancer and cancer chemopreventive properties. However, the effects and mechanisms of simvastatin on the development of lung cancer are still unclear. In the present study, quiescent A549 cells were treated in vitro with fetal bovine serum (FBS) in the presence or absence of simvastatin. MTT, Western blot, and real-time qPCR were used to detect cell viability, activation of ERK, and expression of TGF-βRII at the protein and RNA level. Our results demonstrated that simvastatin inhibited activation of ERK, downregulated expression of TGF-βRII, and suppressed A549 cell proliferation. Furthermore, the effects of simvastatin can be reversed by farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP). Therefore, these results suggest that simvastatin may inhibit A549 cell proliferation and downregulate TGF-βRII expression by inhibiting activation of ERK. Our findings may advance the current understanding of the effects of simvastatin on cancer progression and contribute to the study of cancer treatment.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81273957).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nursing Division, Yantai Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264100, China

    Li Shang & Wen-Hua Xu

  2. Department of Anesthesiology, Yantai Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264100, China

    Shu-Shan Jia

  3. Department of Intensive Care Unit, Yantai Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264100, China

    Hai-Ming Jiang

  4. Department of Physiology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264100, China

    Hua Wang

  5. Department of Internal Medicine, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264100, China

    Chang-Jun Lv

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  1. Li Shang
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  2. Shu-Shan Jia
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  3. Hai-Ming Jiang
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  4. Hua Wang
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  5. Wen-Hua Xu
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Correspondence to Chang-Jun Lv.

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Shang, L., Jia, SS., Jiang, HM. et al. Simvastatin downregulates expression of TGF-βRII and inhibits proliferation of A549 cells via ERK. Tumor Biol. 36, 4819–4824 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-015-3134-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-015-3134-7

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