LukS-PV induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis through p38/ERK MAPK signaling pathway in NSCLC cells

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for nearly 85% of lung cancer cases. LukS-PV, one of the two components of Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL), is produced by Staphylococcus aureus. The present study showed that LukS-PV can induce apoptosis in human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) lines (THP-1 and HL-60). However, the role of LukS-PV in NSCLC is unclear. In this study, we treated NSCLC cell lines A549 and H460 and a normal lung cell line, 16HBE, with LukS-PV and investigated the biological roles of LukS-PV in NSCLC. Cells were treated with varying concentrations of LukS-PV and cell viability was evaluated by CCK8 and EdU assay. Flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis and analyze the cell cycle, and the expression of apoptosis and cell cycle-associated proteins and genes were identified by western blotting analysis and qRT-polymerase chain reaction, respectively. We found that LukS-PV inhibited the proliferation of NSCLC cells but had little cytotoxicity in normal lung cells. LukS-PV induced NSCLC cell apoptosis and increased the BAX/BCL-2 ratio, triggering S-phase arrest in A549 and H460 cells while increasing P21 expression and decreasing CDK2, cyclin D1, and cyclin A2 expression. We also observed increased P-p38 and P-ERK in NSCLC cells treated with LukS-PV. Treatment of NSCLC with LukS-PV combined with p38 and ERK inhibitors reversed the pro-apoptotic and pro-cell cycle arrest effects of LukS-PV. Overall, these findings indicate that LukS-PV has anti-tumor effects in NSCLC and may contribute to the development of anti-cancer agents.