RBPJ inhibition impairs the growth of lung cancer

Abstract

The exact effects of the modulation of Notch signaling pathway on cell growth have been shown to depend on tumor cell type. Recombination signal-binding protein Jκ (RBPJ) is a key transcription factor downstream of receptor activation in Notch signaling pathway. Here, we evaluated the effects of RBPJ inhibition on the growth of lung cancer cells. We found that a short hairpin interfering RNA (shRNA) for RBPJ efficiently inhibited RBPJ expression in lung cancer cells, resulting in a significant decrease in the cell growth. Further analyses showed that RBPJ inhibition altered the levels of its downstream targets, including p21, p27, CDK2, Hes1, Bcl-2, and SKP2, to prevent the cells from growing. Our data thus suggest that shRNA intervention of RBPJ expression could be a promising therapeutic approach for treating human lung cancer.