p53 Inhibits Lung Cancer Proliferation and Invasion by Regulating miR-34a and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Transformation

Lung cancer is a major cause of cancer-related death. Exploring the mechanism of lung cancer is important for the treatment. In our study, p53 level was knockdown in lung cancer A549 cells and real-time quantitative PCR was conducted for measuring miR-34a expression and epithelialmesenchymal transition (EMT)-related protein expression was detected by immunoblotting. The cell colony formation was measured by colony formation assay and cell migration was measured by a scratch test. After knocking down p53, miR-34a expression was decreased, which was significantly different from control group. At the same time, epithelial cell marker E-cadherin expression was increased and mesenchymal phenotype marker N-cadherin level was decreased, along with increased cell proliferation, migration and colony formation. p53 inhibits lung cancer proliferation and invasion by regulating miR-34a and EMT transformation. This study provides an important theoretical basis and clinical basis for targeted treatment of lung cancer to reduce metastasis and recurrence, and improve the treatment efficacy. It can also provide useful ideas for the study of cell migration mechanisms of other malignant tumors.