Objective: To observe autophagy induced by starvation in non-small cell lung cancer A459 and 95D cells.
Methods: A549 and 95D cells in logarithmic growth in 1640 medium were cultured in Earle's balanced salt solution (EBSS) for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 h. Autophagosome formation in the cell culture was observed by MDC fluorescent staining, and the expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) and Beclin1 in the cells were detected using Western blotting.
Results: Compared with the control cells, the cells with prolonged starvation showed increased MDC-positive cells and autophagosome formation. The expression of Beclin-1 and the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio also increased as the starvation prolonged, reaching the peak levels at 3 h and 4 h, respectively.
Conclusion: Autophagy can be induced by starvation in A549 and 95D cells in correlation with the expression of autophagy-related proteins LC3 and Beclin-1. These cell models of nutritional deficiency-induced autophagy may allow for a better understanding of the role of autophagy in the development of non-small cell lung cancer.