Effect of knockdown of centrosomal protein 55 ku on the proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Objective: To investigate the effects of small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown of centrosomal protein 55 ku (Cep55) on the proliferation capacity of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells HepG2 and Hep3B in vitro so as to provide theoretical evidence for gene-targeted therapy for human hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: Cep55 siRNA was transfected into human hepatocellular carcinoma cells HepG2 and Hep3B with Lipofectamine 2000. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of Cep55 at mRNA and protein levels. Cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT assay and cell cycle analysis was performed by flow cytometry. Results: Cep55 siRNA was successfully transfected into HepG2 and Hep3B cells, resulting in the significant inhibition of Cep55 mRNA and protein expressions (P<0.05). Downregulation of Cep55 significantly decreased the proliferation of HepG2 and Hep3B cells (P<0.05) and induced G2 cell cycle arrest. Conclusion: Downregulating the expression of Cep 55 can inhibit the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and induce G2 cell cycle arrest, which indicates that Cep 55 may be a potential target for primary hepatocellular carcinoma therapy.