The role of Pokemon in the development of renal cell carcinoma

Abstract

Objective To explore the role of Pokemon in the development of renal cell carcinoma. Methods The renal cell adenocarcinoma cell line 786-0 was cultured. A lentiviral vector expressing a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting Pokemon (Lv-shPokemon) was used to suppress the expression of Pokemon in renal cancer cells. The 786-0 cells were divided into two groups: infected with Lv-shPokemon or Lv-scrambled, and the multiplicity of infection (MOI) was 50. Firstly, the Western blotting was used to detect the expression of Pokemon protein to determine if transfection was successful. The MTT assay was used to measure the proliferation of 786-0 renal cell adenocarcinoma cells and the proliferation rate was compared between the groups. Last but not least, the invasive ability of renal cancer cells was evaluated by Transwell assays and the stained migrating cells were counted under a microscope. Results The expression level of Pokemon protein in Lv-shPokemon group (the average gray value: 0.111±0.019) was significantly lower than that in Lv-scrambled group (the average gray value: 0.759±0.084) (t=16.784, P<0.01), indicating successful transfection. The renal cell adenocarcinoma cell proliferation rate in the Lv-shPokemon group [(58.00±6.69)%] was significantly lower than that in the Lv-scrambled group [(100.00±11.82)%] (t=6.862, P<0.01). The number of stained migrating cells in Lv-shPokemon group [(29±4) cells] was significantly less than that in Lv-scrambled group [(120±17) cells] (t=11.651, P<0.01). Conclusion It was concluded that inhibition of Pokemon can reduce the proliferation of renal cancer cells and weaken the invasive ability of renal cancer cells. Key words: Renal carcinoma; Pokemon; Lentiviral vector; Proliferation; Invasion