Inflammatory mediators, tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ, induce EMT in human PTC cell lines

Abstract

Inflammatory mediators, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interferon (IFN)-γ, promote adverse outcomes in numerous types of cancer; however, their role in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of TNF‑α and IFN‑γ on the migration, invasion and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT) of the three PTC cell lines, TPC‑1, BCPAP and K1. The effect of TNF‑α and IFN‑γ on cell migration and invasion was assessed by wound‑healing and Transwell assays. In addition, the mRNA and protein expression levels of the EMT makers, E‑cadherin, N‑cadherin and vimentin, were analyzed using reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR) and immunoblot analysis. The wound‑healing and Transwell experiments revealed that TNF‑α and IFN‑γ increased the migratory and invasive behavior of PTC cells (P<0.05). RT‑qPCR revealed that TNF‑α and IFN‑γ downregulated E‑cadherin mRNA, while they upregulated N‑cadherin and vimentin mRNA expression levels. These results were further confirmed by the immunoblot analysis. The results of the present study suggest that TNF‑α and IFN‑γ induce EMT and malignant progression in human PTC cells.