AHSA1 promotes the progression of lung cancer by enhancing the expression of HSP90α.

[BACKGROUND] Lung cancer (LC) is a leading cause of malignancy-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. The activator of 90 kDa heat shock protein ATPase homolog 1 (AHSA1), one of the chaperones of heat shock protein 90 kDa (heat shock protein 90, HSP90), is involved in the maturation, stabilization, degradation, and function of oncogenic proteins. The aim of this study was to investigate the specific mechanism and role of AHSA1 in LC development.

[METHODS] Expression of AHSA1 in LC was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. AHSA1 expression in LC cells and tissues was assessed by qRT-PCR and western blotting. In addition, Kaplan-Meier plotter analysis and univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between AHSA1 and clinicopathological variables and prognosis. The effects of AHSA1 on LC cell proliferation and migration were observed using cell counting kit-8, flow cytometry, wound healing, and Transwell assays. Target genes were predicted by bioinformatics and subsequently validated using a qRT-PCR assay.

[RESULTS] AHSA1 exhibited significant upregulation in LC tissues and cell lines, with its elevated expression correlating with adverse prognostic outcomes in LC patients. Functional assays revealed that downregulation of AHSA1 markedly impedes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of LC cells. Conversely, overexpression of AHSA1 enhanced these malignant behaviors. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis suggested a potential interaction between AHSA1 and HSP90α, which was also found to be highly expressed in LC cells, exhibiting a notable increase in expression levels following AHSA1 upregulation.

[CONCLUSIONS] AHSA1 is implicated in promoting the progression of LC by enhancing the malignant phenotype of cancer cells through the upregulation of HSP90α expression, which may underlie the association of AHSA1 expression with adverse clinicopathologic features in LC patients. These findings indicate that AHSA1 serves as a potential prognostic biomarker and represents a viable therapeutic target for LC.