Effect of gasdermin D expression on tumorigenesis

Cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell proliferation and metastasis due to genetic or epigenetic changes and environmental factors. Increasing number of cancer cases and the development of resistance to apoptosis by tumor cells in response to conventional therapies force scientists to find new strategies to effectively eliminate these abnormal cells. Pyroptosis is a recently identified form of programed cell death triggered by the activation of an innate immune receptors called inflammasomes. Pyroptosis is mediated by Gasdermin D which is cleaved by the effectors of inflammasomes and forms pores at the plasma membrane of the cell. Some recent studies found that some chemotherapeutic drugs triggering pyroptosis could be used to overcome apoptosis resistance of cancer cell. Limited studies revealed contradictory results on Gasdermin D's role in cancer. The aim of this thesis is to determine the relationship between Gasdermin D expression and cancer properties such as proliferation and migration. To that purpose, we cultured different types of cancer cell lines and determined Gasdermin D levels by western blot and RT-PCR analyses. Then, the proliferation rate and migration capacity of these cells was tested by wound healing assay. Our results suggest that Gasdermin D expression and cancer cell metastasis are inversely correlated. Overall, this thesis contributes to the understanding of the involvement of Gasdermin expression in tumor progression and provide evidence for the use of Gasdermin D expression as a cancer marker.