Effects of Dynamin-related Protein 1 Regulated Mitochondrial Dynamic Changes on Invasion and Metastasis of Lung Cancer Cells

Objective: Mitochondrial imbalance of division and fusion will lead to uncontrolled cell growth. This study investigated the effects of mitochondrial dynamics regulated by dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) on the invasion and metastasis of lung cancer cells at the cellular level. Methods: Lentivirus-mediated RNAi and gene overexpression vectors containing shDrp1 and Lv-Drp1 were transfected into lung adenocarcinoma cell lines 95D and A549, respectively. An MTT assay was used to assess cell viability and a cell clone assay was used to evaluate the tumorigenic ability of lentivirus-infected cells. Cell invasion and wound healing assays were used to assess cell invasiveness and the migration rate after lentivirus infection. Annexin V-APC staining was used to determine the cell apoptosis rate. Results: In 95D cells, when the Drp1 gene is overexpressed (OE) the proliferation rate and apoptosis rate were significantly higher than those in the control group (NCOE) (P 0. 05). The proliferation rate and clone number in the shDrp1 infected 95D cell group (KD) were significantly lower than those in the control group (NCKD) (P 0.05). In A549 cells, unlike in 95D cells, the invasion rate of the KD group was 25% lower than that of the NCKD group (P < 0.05). After 8 hours, the cell migration rates of the two groups were basically the same, but after 24 hours, the migration rate of the KD group was 10% lower than that of the NCKD group (P < 0.05). Compared with the NCOE group, the migration rate of the OE group increased significantly (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Mitochondrial Drp1 is associated with the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma cells. Inhibition of Drp1 expression may contribute to anti-tumor therapy for lung cancer.