[Expression of aurora-A kinase in human lung cancer cell lines PG, A549, and NCI-H460].

Background & Objective: Recent researches found that Aurora-A overexpresses in various malignancies. This study was to detect the expression of Aurora-A in lung cancer cell lines PG (highly-metastatic giant cell lung cancer), A549 (lung adenocarcinoma), and NCI-H460 (large cell lung cancer) and explore its correlation to DNA content, provide a theoretical basis for screening tumor marker and molecular therapeutic target of lung cancer.

Methods: mRNA and protein levels of Aurora-A in PG, A549, and NCI-H460 cells were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) and Western blot. Flow cytometry was used to analyze DNA contents in cell cycles of PG, A549, and NCI-H460 cells.

Results: mRNA level of Aurora-A was 1.14 in PG cells, 1.16 in A549 cells, and 0.84 in NCI-H460 cells, respectively; protein level of Aurora-A was 8.96 in PG cells, 21.13 in A549 cells, and 6.43 in NCI-H460 cells, respectively. The proportion of cells with tetraploid DNA was 19.88% in PG cells, 14.97% in A549 cells, and 10.6% in NCI-H460 cells, respectively (P<0.01); the proportion of cells with polyploid DNA was 2.66% in PG cells, 3.59% in A549 cells, and 2.30% in NCI-H460 cells, respectively.

Conclusion: Aurora-A is overexpressed in the 3 lung cancer cell lines, but the mRNA levels are different.