Evaluation of the effect of RhoB inhibition on cancer stem cell properties in NSCLC A549 cells

The cancer stem cells model suggests that a small subgroup of cancer cells can self-renew and substantially leads to the recurrence of tumors. Such cells are thought to be a reservoir for the regeneration of tumor-initiating mutant cells, which are insensitive to the chemotherapy currently being used. RhoB GTPase is implicated in regulating cell survival, tumorigenesis, angiogenesis, migration, and metastasis. Higher degrees of tumor progression and invasiveness are associated with RhoB expression. The contribution of Rho GTPases, in particular RhoB, in cancer stem cell properties, has not yet been fully explored. This study aims to explore the possible relationship between RhoB expression and the in vitro cancer stem cell-like characteristics of non-small cell lung cancer cells such as spheroid formation and self-renewal. To determine whether the inhibition of RhoB could promote CSCs-like characteristics, RhoB siRNA or AllStars siRNA negative control were transfected into A549 cells. The spheroid formation assay was used to evaluate the ability of cells to grow in serum-free culture conditions. The results demonstrated that inhibition of RhoB did not have a statistically significant effect in promoting cancer stem-like properties in A549 cells. This study may lead to further understanding of the contribution of RhoB to in vitro cancer stem cell features, such as the formation of tumorspheroids.