Background: Pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase 1 (PYCR1) is involved in tumor progression, for instance, breast cancer and prostate cancer. However, its role in tumor metastasis, especially in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), is still elusive. Materials and Methods: The messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of PYCR1 between NSCLC and normal lung specimens was compared using Oncomine database. The endogenous PYCR1 expressions in NSCLC cell lines 95C and H1299 were knocked down by lentiviral-mediated delivery of short hairpin RNA (shRNA). Then the effects of PYCR1 on the migration and invasion of NSCLC cells were studied by wound healing assay and transwell assay. Results: PYCR1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in NSCLC specimens than that in normal lung tissues. Depletion of PYCR1 in NSCLC cell significantly repressed the cell migration and invasion. Moreover, depletion of PYCR1 influenced the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition molecules E-cadherin, Vimentin, N-cadherin, and Snail1. Conclusions: Our data suggested that PYCR1 plays a positive role in NSCLC metastasis in vitro and might be a promising target for treating NSCLC.
Keywords: PYCR1; invasion; migration; nonsmall cell lung cancer; shRNA.