The effect of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides targeting aurora A kinase on tumor growth and changes of cell cycle in human lung cancer cell line A549

Objective:To address the possibility of aurora A kinas as a therapeutic target for lung cancer,we employed the antisense oligodeoxynucleotides technique to inhibit aurora A expression and investegate its effect on tumor growth and cell cycle of A549.Methods:Aurora A phosphorothioate ASODN was synthesized and transfected into A549 cells by lipofectAMINE 2000.Aurora A mRNA and protein expression were examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)and Western blot respectively.Cell cycle distribution was observed by flow cytometer.MTT assay was used to evaluate cell inhibition ratio before and after transfection.Results:The proliferation of the A549 cells transfected by lipofectAMINE 2000 was inhibited by aurora A ASODN in a dose and time dependent manner.It is also observed that the IC50 of A549 cells after 48 hours' treatment of ASODN is about 300nmol/L and under such circumstances,the aurora A mRNA and protein expression significantly decreased,along with the induction of accumulation of cells in S phase and the G2-M transition.Conclusion:Inhibition of aurora A expression can result in the suppression of cell growth and G2-M arrest of human lung cancer cell line A549.