Background
As its etiology and pathogenesis is obscure, illustrating the molecular mechanism of lung cancer has become a serious and urgent task. Studies have shown that fumarate hydratase (FH) is a tumor suppressor related to tumorigenesis, development, and invasion. Our
Conclusion
FH was under-expressed in lung cancer, suggesting that it may be an indicator of tumorigenesis and could be a potential target for therapies against lung cancer in the future.
Results
1. Bioinformatic analysis: FH mainly exist in the mitochondria; the common structural elements of FH are mainly α-helix, random coil, β-turn, and extended strand; there are five possible transmembrane domains in the entire polypeptide chain; FH is a hydrophilic and soluble protein. 2. RT-PCR result: FH mRNA expression was downregulated in A549 cells compared with 16HBE cells. 3. Immunohistochemistry: FH protein expression was significantly lower in lung cancer cells than in normal lung tissues (P < 0.05), but was not correlated with the patients' age, gender, tumor size, pathological type, or lymph node, distant, or tumor node metastasis stage.