Abstract
BACKGROUND: It has been proven that ornithine aminotransferase (OAT) might play an important role in the oncogenesis and progression of numerous malignant tumors. The aim of this study is to detect the mRNA and protein expression of OAT in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as to analyze the bioinformatic features and binary interactions. METHODS: OAT mRNA expression was detected in A549 and 16HBE cell lines by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. OAT protein expression was determined in 55 cases of NSCLC and 17 cases of adjacent non-tumor lung tissues by immunohistochemical staining. The bioinformatic features and binary interactions of OAT were analyzed. Gene ontology annotation and signal pathway analysis were performed. RESULTS: OAT mRNA expression in A549 cells was 2.85-fold lower than that in 16HBE cells. OAT protein expression was significantly higher in NSCLC tissues than that in adjacent non-tumor lung tissues. A significant difference of OAT protein expression was existed between squamous cell lung cancer and adenocarcinoma (P < 0.05), but was not correlated with the gender, age, lymph node metastasis, tumor size, and TNM stages. Bioinformatic analysis suggested that OAT was a highly homologous and stable protein located in the mitochondria. An aminotran-3 domain and several sites of phosphorylation, which may function in signal transduction, gene transcription, and molecular transit, were found. In the 54 selected binary interactions of OAT, TNF and TRAF6 play roles in the NF-κB pathway. CONCLUSIONS: OAT may play an important role in the oncogenesis and progression of NSCLC. Thus, OAT may be a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of NSCLC or a new target for its treatment.