Abstract
Sigma-1 receptor (σ1R), an important transmembrane structural protein, has been demonstrated to be overexpressed in various types of human cancer, and has been confirmed to be involved in many biological behaviors during tumorigenesis and tumor progression. The aim of the present study was to explore the essential role of σ1R in hepatic malignant tumors (HMTs), which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been reported to date. We assessed σ1R expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and found that σ1R was significantly decreased in HCC when compared with that in benign liver tissues (P<0.01). Additionally, the expression of σ1R was shown to be inversely correlated with HCC grade (r=-0.424, P=0.021, Kendall's τ-b-test). We further used a FLAG‑SV40‑neomycin‑plasmid strategy to increase σ1R expression in the HepG2 hepatoblastoma cell line. Overexpression of σ1R impaired cell proliferation, inhibited cell migration, induced cell cycle arrest at G1phase, and increased cell apoptosis invitro. Furthermore, overexpression of σ1R decreased the expression levels of STAT-3 and NF-κB, which provided insight into the underlying mechanisms of σ1R-associated HMT development and progression. These findings suggest that the decreased expression of σ1R plays an essential role in hepatic tumorigenesis, and that it may serve as a potential predictive factor and therapeutic target for the treatment of HMTs.
Highlights
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatoblastoma (HB) are two common hepatic malignant tumors (HMTs) thatKey words: σ1 receptor, histological differentiation, proliferation, migration, apoptosis typically occur in adults and children, respectively
The present findings strongly suggest a causal relationship between σ1 receptor (σ1R) expression and HMT development, indicating that σ1R may serve as a potential target in research on the pathogenesis and prognosis of HMT
Western blotting showed that STAT-3 and Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) were decreased in HepG2 cells overexpressing σ1R (Fig. 6; P
Summary
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatoblastoma (HB) are two common hepatic malignant tumors (HMTs) that. The methods of diagnosis and treatment for HCC are numerous, but the short survival times of HCC patients indicate the poor prognosis associated with this disease
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