SNAI1 promotes the development of HCC through the enhancement of proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis

Abstract

SNAI 1, a zinc‐finger transcription factor, plays an important role in the induction of epithelial–mesenchymal transition ( EMT ) in various cancers. However, the possible functions of SNAI 1 in the proliferation and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma have not been clearly identified. In this study, we investigated the effects and mechanisms of SNAI 1 in the proliferation and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma using clinical samples and cell lines. We found that SNAI 1 is highly expressed in the tissues of liver cancer compared with adjacent nontumor tissues. SNAI 1 is also highly expressed in the hepatoma cell lines HepG2, SMMC ‐7721, and BEL ‐7402 compared with the human normal liver cell line L02. We also observed that SNAI 1 expression was correlated with distal metastasis, incomplete tumor capsule formation, and histological differentiation in hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC ). Moreover, we demonstrated that knockdown of SNAI 1 via lentiviral vectors of RNA i against SNAI inhibited cell proliferation by inducing G1 arrest, which was accompanied by the downregulation of cyclin D1 but not that of cyclin A. In addition, knockdown of SNAI 1 promoted apoptosis by decreasing the expression of Bcl‐2. In conclusion, our findings revealed that SNAI 1 is involved in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma via regulating the growth and apoptosis of tumor cells.

miR‑30a regulates the proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells by targeting Snail

“…In order to evaluate the downstream target genes of miR-30a which are able to inhibit tumor development in breast cancer tissue, the target gene of miR-30a was screened for using the target gene prediction software TargetScans. Among the numerous potential target genes, due to its function in the development of human cancer (26)(27)(28)(29), Snail was selected as the target gene of interest. Snail is a regulatory factor in the process of EMT in tumor cells (30).…”

Synaptotagmin-7 is overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma and regulates hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation via Chk1–p53 signaling

“…Previous studies have demonstrated that many genes play important roles in the tumorigenesis and development of HCC; the results of experiments have shown that RNAi-mediated gene regulation could significantly influence the biological behavior of hepatoma cells. 17 – 20 …”

MAPK/p38 regulation of cytoskeleton rearrangement accelerates induction of macrophage activation by TLR4, but not TLR3

“…The specific sequences of the primers used were as previously described ( 3 , 13 ). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed under the following conditions: 95°C for 30 sec, followed by 45 cycles at 95°C for 5 sec, 60°C for 5 sec, 72°C for 5 sec and 65°C for 20 sec, using the LightCycler Real-time PCR system (Roche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, IN, USA) as previously described ( 14 ).…”