Prognostic value of Thy 1 in non small cell lung cancer a RNA Seq transcriptome analysis
Thy1 is a membrane glycoprotein, which can regulate cell matrix and cell cell interactions. Thy1 plays an important role in oncogenesis, tumor metastasis and survival. Thy1 has also been considered a major marker in many kinds of cancer stem cells. In order to investigate the expression and prognostic values of Thy1 in non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) we cultured the stem cell like sphere 95D cell lines in serum free DMEM/F12. Colony formation assay, cell cycle and apoptosis were performed in vitro. Tumorigenicity was analyzed in vivo. The RNA expression status of Thy1 in sphere 95D cell lines was investigated by RNA Seq. Then we examined Thy1 expression via immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 183 NSCLC samples and 96 normal lung samples. The stem cell like sphere 95D cells had a higher efficiency of cloning than adherence 95D in vitro, and a better tumorigenic potential in vivo. Sphere 95D cells were blocked in G0 G1 in Sphere 95D group significantly, but have no significant effect on the apoptosis compared with adherence 95D cells. The RNA expression of Thy1 in Sphere 95D cells was significantly up regulated compared with adherence 95D cells by RNA seq. Of all NSCLC specimens, Thy1 was detected in the mesenchyme or nucleus by IHC, and the expression rates of Thy1 positive cells were much higher in NSCLC specimens than in normal lung samples. Mesenchymal Thy1 positive expression was an adverse predictor of prognosis in NSCLC patients, while nuclear Thy1 positive expression had no significant associations with overall survival. However, neither mesenchymal nor nuclear Thy1 positive expression was significantly related to clinicopathological characteristics in NSCLC. Thus, Thy1 might serve as a vital therapeutic target for NSCLC.