N-Myc down-regulated gene 1 mediates proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Yan, Xinrui; Chua, Mei-Sze; Sun, Hongbo; So, Samuel

doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2007.12.010

« PreviousCancer Letters
Volume 262, Issue 1 , Pages 133-142, 8 April 2008

N-Myc down-regulated gene 1 mediates proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Asian Liver Center, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, H3680, Stanford, CA 94305-5655, USA

Received 17 October 2007; received in revised form 27 November 2007; accepted 3 December 2007. published online 21 January 2008.

Abstract

The over-expression of N-myc down-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was previously reported to correlate with vascular invasion and patient survival. Our current study aims to elucidate its functions in HCC. We found that it lacked the tumorigenic ability to promote soft agar colony formation or serum-independent growth of NIH3T3 cells. We used specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) oligos to suppress the expression of NDRG1 in human HCC (Hep3B and HepG2) cell lines, and found that this significantly reduced cell proliferation and invasion, and induced apoptosis. Additionally, NDRG1-specific siRNA inhibited the HepG2 xenograft growth in nude mice. These results are consistent with our earlier clinical observations that NDRG1 is associated with more aggressive tumor behavior, and suggest that NDRG1 may be a potential therapeutic target for HCC.

Keywords: NDRG1, Hepatocellular carcinoma, siRNA, Invasion, Apoptosis