Loss of PRRX1 induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cell-like properties in A549 cells.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays crucial role in tumor metastasis and patient prognosis. Previous studies indicated that paired-related homeobox 1 (PRRX1), a newly identified EMT inducer, plays opposing roles in different tumor cell types. However, the function of PRRX1 in lung cancer has not been elucidated. In the present study, we observed that the expression level of PRRX1 was high in A549 cells, and a loss of PRRX1 induced EMT by regulating the EMT markers N-cadherin, E-cadherin and vimentin in A549 cells. This loss also distinctly affected cell morphology, migration and invasion. Moreover, a loss of PRRX1 increased the expression levels of cancer stem cell (CSC) markers and promoted the proliferation of these cells. These findings demonstrated that PRRX1 inhibits EMT and induces CSC-like properties in A549 cells.