Fig. 1

CD73 is frequently overexpressed in NSCLC. a Twenty-four formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded NSCLC tissues were subjected to H & E staining and IHC analyses of the CD73 protein. Representative images are shown of H & E staining (a & e, i & m), the corresponding CD73 antibody staining (b–d, f-h and j–l, n-p) in adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas, respectively. b Western blot analysis of the CD73 protein levels in 21 randomly selected NSCLC tissues and paired noncancerous lung tissues; β-actin was used as an internal control. c CD73 mRNA levels in 59 NSCLC tissues and paired noncancerous lung tissues. d Relative CD73 mRNA expression levels in NSCLC tumors and adjacent normal lung tissues in a public data set (GSE19188). e Effect of the CD73 expression level on overall survival in 227 lung cancer patients who did not undergo chemotherapy or radiotherapy was analyzed, and Kaplan-Meier plots were generated using a Kaplan-Meier Plotter (http://www.kmplot.com). f and g The level of CD73 in human NSCLC cells was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. Abbreviations: N, paired noncancerous lung tissues, T, non-small cell lung cancer tissues. ^* P < 0.05