NDC80 promotes proliferation and metastasis of colon cancer cells.

Chromosome instability is a common feature of tumor cells, and may be an important mechanism in tumor formation. Nuclear division cycle 80 (NDC80) is closely associated with the stability of chromosomes. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between NDC80 and development of colon cancer using a range of methods. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were employed to determine the expression of this protein in different colon cells and tissues, cell proliferation was measured with an MTT assay, levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen were examined by immunofluorescence, and cell migration was observed using wound healing tests. Our results showed that the expression of NDC80 in colon cancer cells (CACO2, HCT8, HCT116, and SW480) and tissues (from 20 patients) was higher than that in controls. Moreover, cell proliferation and migration rates were elevated in cells transfected with NDC80 compared to control groups. In summary, NDC80 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of colon cancer cells, and may constitute a new target for gene therapy in treating this disease. Combined with clinicopathological grading, measurement of positive NDC80 expression may be helpful in diagnosing and estimating the prognosis of colon cancer patients.