Progress of Twist gene in non-small cell lung cancer

Twist, one of the basic helix-loop-helix protein (bHLH) family members, plays a crucial role on regulation of cell migration and differentiation in embryonic development by transcriptionally activating or suppressing its downstream target gene.Twist is over-expressed in a variety of human tumors and involves in the regulation of multiple signaling pathways and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in tumor.Moreover, Twist, as a poor prognosis factor, is associated with tumor genesis, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, resistance to apoptosis, multidrug resistance of tumor cells etc.This article reviews the research progress of Twist in tumorigenesis, development, invasion, metastasis, multidrug resistance of non-small cell lung cancer. Key words: Twist gene; Non-small cell lung cancer; Epithelial-mesenchymal transition; Invasion; Metastasis