Silencing TCAB1 suppresses proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by inducing apoptosis

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Telomerase Cajal body protein 1 (TCAB1) is closely related to the occurrence, development and prognosis of tumors, and may affect the sensitivity of tumor radiotherapy. There are no reports about the effect of TCAB1 gene expression on proliferation and apoptosis of HEPG2 cells. We plan to investigate whether silencing TCAB1 using siRNA is helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods Three siRNA sequences (siTCAB1-1, siTCAB1-2, siTCAB1-3) targeting TCAB1 gene and one negative sequence (NC) were designed, synthesized and then transfected into HEPG2 cells, separately. The expressions of TCAB1 and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) in mRNA and protein level were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot assays. Moreover, proliferation and apoptosis of HEPG2 cells were measured by MTT assay, and flow cytometry, respectively. Results RT-qPCR and Western blot data both showed that TCAB1 expression in the siTCAB1 group was significantly lower than that in the blank control and NC groups (p<0.05). However, TERT expression was not significantly different among those groups (p>0.05). MTT result showed that HEPG2 cells proliferation in the siTCAB1 group was lower than that in the blank control and NC groups (p<0.05). The apoptotic rate in the siTCAB1 group was significantly increased compared with the blank control and NC groups (p<0.01). Conclusions Silencing TCAB1 can inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis of HEPG2 cells, providing a potential therapeutic method for diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.