Overexpression of the hydatidiform mole-related gene F10 inhibits apoptosis in A549 cells through downregulation of BCL2-associated X protein and caspase-3.

The aim of this study was to investigate how the overexpression of the hydatidiform mole-related gene F10 affects apoptosis in human lung cancer A549 cells. A549 cells were transfected with pEGFP-N1-F10 (A549-F10) or pEGFP-N1 empty vector (A549-empty). Untransfected A549, A549-F10 or A549-empty cells were examined using the MTT cell proliferation assay and the TUNEL-FITC/Hoechst 33258 apoptosis assay. Western blotting was used to examine the expression levels of the pro-apoptotic genes, BCL2-associated X protein (BAX) and caspase-3. F10 was stably expressed in A549 cells. From 12 h, A549-F10 cells proliferated markedly faster than the untransfected and A549-empty cells. F10 overexpression also significantly inhibited apoptosis, as shown by the reduced number of TUNEL and Hoechst 33258 double-positive cells. This inhibition was likely due to an F10-induced reduction in the BAX and caspase-3 levels. The results of this study indicate that F10 overexpression inhibits apoptosis in A549 cells through the downregulation of the pro-apoptotic genes BAX and caspase-3.