FOXN2 suppresses the proliferation and invasion of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the roles of FOXN2 (Fork head Box N2) in mediating the proliferation and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to determine expression of FOXN2 in HCC tissues and cells. Transfection of plasmid containing FOXN2 was used to exogenously overexpress FOXN2 in vitro. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and transwell assay were applied to detect the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells, respectively. FOXN2 expression decreased significantly in both HCC tissues and cells (p<0.05). Upregulation of FOXN2 significantly inhibited the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells (p<0.05). FOXN2 acts as a regulator in the progression of HCC. Our findings suggest that FOXN2 may be a novel therapeutic monitoring and prognosis biomarker in HCC.