NCAPG stimulates lung adenocarcinoma cell stemness through aerobic glycolysis

Abstract Background Cancer stem cells are pivotal in cancer progression and therapy, including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). High NCAPG level is implicated in malignant tumorigenesis, but investigations on NCAPG and LUAD stem cells are warranted. Hence, projecting the impact of NCAPG on cell stemness and the targeted therapy for LUAD is of the essence. Methods Bioinformatics analyzed NCAPG expression in LUAD tissues. qRT‐PCR assayed NCAPG expression in LUAD cells. CCK‐8 assessed cell viability and cell sphere‐forming assay measured sphere‐forming ability. Western blot assessed expression of stem cell‐related markers (CD133, CD44, Oct‐4) and specific genes (HK2, PKM2, LDHA) related to glycolysis metabolism pathway. Cellular glycolytic capacity was assayed by glycolytic metabolites pyruvic acid, lactate, citrate, and malate assay kits, and extracellular acidification rate and oxygen consumption rate analyzers. Results NCAPG was upregulated in LUAD and enriched in the aerobic glycolysis pathway, and its expression was positively correlated with that of glycolytic marker genes. Cell function assays revealed that NCAPG stimulated proliferation, stemness, and glycolytic activity of LUAD cells. Rescue experiments unveiled that 2‐DG (glycolysis inhibitor) was able to reverse the stimulative impact of NCAPG overexpression on proliferation, stemness, and glycolytic activity of LUAD cells. Conclusion NCAPG stimulated LUAD cell stemness through activation of glycolysis pathway. NCAPG may be possible biomarker for diagnosis and target for treatment of LUAD.