Abstract
Aim: Previous studies have suggested Glypican-3 (GPC3) could be a valuable diagnostic marker for hepatocellular carcinoma. This study examined the effects of overexpression of GPC3 on Huh-7 hepatoma cells. Methods: We constructed a recombinant plasmid vector pcDNA3.1 (+)-GPC3 for GPC3 overexpression studies in Huh-7 cells. RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to confirm GPC3 gene expression. Cell proliferation was evaluated by 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation assay. Cell cycle progression and apoptosis were determined by flow cytometry using propidium iodide (PI) and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining, respectively. Cell migration and invasion were examined by Boyden Transewll and Matrigel assays. Results: GPC3 overexpression effectively inhibited proliferation, induced cell cycle arrest at S phase and increased apoptosis in Huh-7 cells. Furthermore, GPC3 overexpression significantly inhibited the migration and invasion ability of Huh-7 cells. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that GPC3 could be a new therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma
Highlights
Hepatocellular carcinoma is the third leading cause of cancerrelated death in the world [1]
The real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results showed that the expression level of GPC3 in the Huh-7 cells transfected with GPC3 was significantly higher than that in control or mock groups (Figure 1A)
We found that overexpression of GPC3 in Huh-7 cells can inhibit cell proliferation, induce apoptosis, arrest cell cycle progression at the S phase, and suppress Huh-7 cell migration and invasion
Summary
Hepatocellular carcinoma is the third leading cause of cancerrelated death in the world [1]. The outcome of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma is very poor with 5-year survival rate is less than 10-15% [2,3]. Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a member of the protein glycan family with a tissue-specific expression [4]. They are released from cell surface and functional to regulate the cell signaling of migration, proliferation and cell survival [5,6]. Previous studies have suggested that GPC3 is a valuable diagnostic biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma [7,8]. Silencing GPC3 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells inhibited cell proliferation and increased cell apoptosis. The potential effect of overexpression of GPC3 in hepatocellular carcinoma remains unclear
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
