[Influence of suppressor gene p16 on retinoic acid inducing lung cancer cell A549 differentiation].

Objective: To investigate the role of suppressor gene p16 in the process of differential regulation of retinoic acid (RA) on the A549 lung cancer cells.
Methods: Tumor suppressor gene p16 was transfered into A549 cells and the cells were treated with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) at the dosage of 5 x 10(-6) mol/L for 4 d. After that, the proliferation and differentiation of A549 cells were examined by growth curve and cytometry analysis, the change of lung lineage-specific marker MUC1 was tested by immunohistochemical staining. Meanwhile, Western blot was used to observe the change of p16 protein expression in A549 cells treated with ATRA.
Results: ATRA could obviously inhibit the growth and induce the differentiation of A549 cells that were transfered with p16 gene. There were more cells arrested in G1/G0 phase and the expression of MUC1 was markedly down-regulated than in control cells. The expression of p16 protein was up-regulated in A549 cells treated with ATRA.
Conclusion: Suppressor gene p16 could enhance the effects of RA on proliferative suppression and differential induction of A549 cells.