Knockdown of CENPF inhibits the progression of lung adenocarcinoma mediated by ERβ2/5 pathway

Many studies have reported that estrogen (E2) promotes lung cancer by binding to nuclear estrogen receptors (ER), and altering ER related nuclear protein expressions. With the GEO database analysis, Human centromere protein F (CENPF) is highly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), and the co-expression of CENPF and ERβ was found in the nucleus of LUAD cells through immunofluorescence. We identified the nuclear protein CENPF and explored its relationship with the ER pathway. CENPF and ERβ2/5 were related with T stage and poor prognosis (P<0.05). CENPF knockout significantly inhibited LUAD cell growth, the tumor growth of mice and the expression of ERβ2/5 (P<0.05). The protein expression of CENPF and ERβ2/5 in the CENPF-Knockdown+Fulvestrant group was lower than CENPF- Negative Control +Fulvestrant group (P=0.002, 0.004, 0.001) in A549 cells. The tumor size and weight of the CENPF-Knockdown+Fulvestrant group were significantly lower than CENPF- Negative Control +Fulvestrant group (P=0.001, 0.039) in nude mice. All the results indicated that both CENPF and ERβ2/5 play important roles in the progression of LUAD, and knockdown CENPF can inhibit the progression of LUAD by inhibiting the expression of ER2/5. Thus, the development of inhibitors against ERβ2/5 and CENPF remained more effective in improving the therapeutic effect of LUAD.