Ribosomal protein S7 affects apoptosis of HeLa cervical cancer cells

Abstract

Objective To preliminarily investigate the effect of ribosomal protein S7 on apoptosis of HeLa cervical cancer cells. Methods The previously constructed recombinant plasmid pIRES2-EGFP-RPS7 was transfected into HeLa cells, the empty vector pIRES2-EGFP transfected cells as control. Enhanced green fluorescent protein(EGFP) expressing cells were quantified by flow cytometry, and RPS7 protein level was also determined by Western blotting. Cell apoptosis of both RPS7 over-expression cells and knockdown cells were evaluated by flow cytometry after staining using allophycocyanin labeled Annexin-V. Results Apoptotic cell level in the obtained RPS7 transient over-expression HeLa cells was significantly higher than that of vector control cells [(10.00±0.60)% vs (5.73±0.61)%], with a statistic difference (t=8.63, P = 0.001). Moreover, the apoptotic level in RPS7 knockdown cells was lower than that in control cells [(3.08±0.49)% vs (5.97±0.63)%], with a statistic difference (t=6.40, P=0.003). Conclusion Up-regulation of RPS7 may promote apoptosis, while down-regulation of RPS7 may inhibit apoptosis of HeLa cells, indicating that RPS7 may play roles in regulating cell apoptosis. Key words: Uterine cervical neoplasms; Apoptosis; Ribosomal protein S7