Gene expression profile of A549 cells treated with TGF-beta

Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a plastic process that converts epithelial cells into migratory and invasive cells. Accumulating evidence indicates that EMT is a key event for metastasis in several types of cancer, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Especially, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) acts as a potent inducer of EMT and contributes to cancer progression. Emerging studies suggest that a metabolic reprograming is essential to acquire the EMT phenotype in cancer cells. However, a comprehensive understanding of metabolism in cancer EMT remains largely unexplored. Here, we analyzed metabolic changes during TGF-beta-induced EMT in NSCLC A549 cells using capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE-TOFMS). At the same time, we examined the expression of metabolic-related genes using microarray analysis. Gene expression in A549 cells treated with TGF-beta for 72 h was measured.