TRIM31 is downregulated in non-small cell lung cancer and serves as a potential tumor suppressor

The present study aims to investigate expression pattern and biological roles of TRIM31 in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We examined TRIM31 expression in 116 NSCLC tissues and 20 corresponding normal lung tissues by immumohistochemistry. We found TRIM31 downregulation in 47 out of 116 (40.5 %) cancer samples, which correlated with tumor status (p = 0.0132), advanced p-TNM stage (p = 0.001), and nodal metastasis (p = 0.0382). TRIM31 expression was lower in lung cancer cell lines than normal bronchial cell line HBE. Transfection of TRIM31 plasmid was performed in H157 and H1299 cells. TRIM31 overexpression inhibited cell growth rate and colony formation ability in both cell lines. In addition, expression of cell cycle regulator cyclin D1 and cyclin E were decreased after TRIM31 transfection. In conclusion, TRIM31 might serve as a tumor suppressor in non-small cell lung cancer.