Comparative Study on the Role of Nagalase Expression in Different Cancer Cell Lines

Background and Objective: The alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase (nagalase) is an enzyme related to immune-suppression in cancer patients. Nagalase aids the migration and invasion of cancer cells. This study aims to investigate the relative expression of nagalase as blocker of Gc protein-derived Macrophage Activating Factor (GC-MAF) in six different cell lines known to have different aggressiveness and metastatic rates. Materials and Methods: In this study, HeLa (Human cervical cell line), SW460 and SW480 (Human colon cancer cell lines) MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 and human mammary carcinoma cell line and A549 (human lung carcinoma cell line) were used. The relative levels of nagalase protein were evaluated by western blotting. Cells were homogenized and centrifuged. The blocked membranes were probed with NAGA mouse monoclonal antibody and HRP anti beta-actin primary antibodies and scanned. Results: Among the studied cell lines, HeLa cells recorded the higher level of nagalase, followed by colon cancer cell lines, breast cancer cell lines and lung cancer cells as cells with the lowest level of nagalase. The obtained results were normalized to beta-actin, serving as an internal loading control and were then presented as a percentage of the control. The relationship between nagalase and the aggressiveness of the studied cell lines was discussed in detail. Conclusion: Nagalase may have an important role in the invasion of cancer cells and can be considered as a candidate for further studies.