To explore the expression of TAZ in gefitinib-sensitive and resistant NSCLC, we first examined the endogenous expression of TAZ by western blot (Figure 1A) and real-time PCR (Figure 1B) using several lung cell lines, including human bronchial epithelial cell line 16HBE, lung adenocarcinoma cell lines A549, cisplatin-resistant A549/DDP, gefitinib-sensitive PC9 (EGFR delE746-A750) and gefitinib-resistant PC9/GR derived from PC9 harboring T790M mutation (Additional file 1: Table S1). This evidence concerns the gene WWTR1 and non-small cell lung carcinoma.