Mammalian Eps15 homology domain 1 promotes metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition

The identification of the earliest molecular events responsible for the metastatic dissemination of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains critical for early detection, prevention, and treatment interventions. In this study, we hypothesized that Mammalian Eps15 homology domain 1 (EHD1) might be responsible for the metastatic behavior of cells in NSCLC. We demonstrated that upregulation of EHD1 is associated with lymph nodes metastasis and unfavorable survival in patients with NSCLC. EHD1 knockdown inhibited the invasion and migration of human NSCLC cells, and overexpression of EHD1 increased the metastatic potential of lung cancer cells. Using the Affymetrix Human Gene 1.0 ST platform, microarray analysis revealed that an association between EHD1 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), supported by downregulation of mesenchymal markers and upregulation of epithelial markers following knockdown of EHD1 in cell lines. Moreover, overexpression of EHD1 induced the EMT and increased the metastatic potential of lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. These results provide a model to illustrate the relationship between EHD1 expression and lung cancer metastasis, opening up new avenues for the prognosis and therapy of lung cancer.