Expression of G protein-coupled receptor 56 is associated with tumor progression in non-small-cell lung carcinoma patients

BACKGROUND: G protein-coupled receptor 56 (GPR56) is an adhesion G protein-coupled receptor with essential functions for cell physiology and survival, and its expression correlates with prognosis in a number of malignancies. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship of GPR56 expression with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis in non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). METHODS: The levels of GPR56 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 157 NSCLC tissue samples. The association between GPR56 and clinicopathological parameters was evaluated by χ(2) test. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to demonstrate the prognosis role of GPR56. The function of GPR56 in NSCLC cell lines was also explored through overexpression and knockdown studies. RESULTS: The expression level of GPR56 in tumor tissues was significantly correlated with the TNM stage of NSCLC (P=0.005). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that GPR56 can act as an independent prognostic factor for overall survival. Furthermore, through overexpression and knockdown experiments, we confirmed that GPR56 can promote the proliferation and invasion of NSCLC cells. CONCLUSION: GPR56 plays an important role in tumor development and may serve as a promising target for prognostic prediction in NSCLC.