Mutant p53 achieves function by regulating EGR1 to induce epithelial mesenchymal transition

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a crucial role in lung cancer metastasis, rendering it a promising therapeutic target. Research has shown that non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with p53 mutations exhibits an increased tendency for cancer metastasis. However, the exact contribution of the p53-R273H mutation to tumor metastasis remains uncertain in the current literature. Our study established the H1299-p53-R273H cell model successfully by transfecting the p53-R273H plasmid into H1299 cells. We observed that p53-R273H promotes cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT through CCK-8, wound healing, transwell, western blot and immunofluorescence assays. Notably, the expression of EGR1 was increased in H1299-p53-R273H cells. Knocking out EGR1 in these cells hindered the progression of EMT. ChIP-PCR experiments revealed that p53-R273H binds to the EGR1 promoter sequence, thereby regulating its expression. These findings suggest that p53-R273H triggers EMT by activating EGR1, thereby offering a potential therapeutic approach for lung cancer treatment.