Effect of HMGB2 on cell cycle and proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma

AIM: To investigate the effect of high-mobility group protein B2 (HMGB2) on cell cycle and proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma cells. METHODS: Cancer RNA-Seq Nexus (CRN) was used to analyze HMGB2 expression in lung adenocarcinoma tissues. OncoLnc was used to analyze the correlation between HMGB2 and prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma patients. Cancer Single-cell State Atlas (CancerSEA) was used to analyze the correlation between HMGB2 and 14 kinds of functional states of lung adenocarcinoma. siRNA was used to inhibit HMGB2 expression in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. The silencing effects were verified by real-time PCR and Western blot, and the cell proliferation was detected by CCK8 and EdU assays. RESULTS: HMGB2 was over-expressed in the lung adenocarcinoma tissues. The overall survival of the patients with lung adenocarcinoma in HMGB2 high expression group was significantly lower than that of the patients with low expression of HMGB2 (log-rank test P=0.017 3). HMGB2 expression was positively correlated with cell cycle and proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma cells. The viability and proliferation ability of A549 cells after HMGB2 expression knock-down were significantly reduced (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The expression of HMGB2 is positively correlated with the cell cycle and proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma, and it can be used as a potential marker for evaluating the prognosis and therapeutic target of patients with lung adenocarcinoma.