Transgelin promotes lung cancer progression via fibroblast activation

Cancer -associated fibroblasts (CAFs), the principal constituent of the heterogenous tumor microenvironment, have been shown to promote tumor progression; however, the underlying mechanism is still less clear. Here, we find that transgelin (TAGLN) protein levels increased in primary CAFs isolated from human lung cancer, compared with those in paired normal fibroblasts. Further experiments show that Tagln overexpression promoted fibroblast activation and mobility in vitro. And TAGLN facilitates p-p65 entry into the nucleus, thereby activating the NF-kb signaling pathway in fibroblasts. Activated fibroblasts promote lung cancer progression via enhancing the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, especially interleukine-6. Our study revealed that the high levels of stromal TAGLN is a predicitive risk factor for patients with lung cancer.