title: Silencing glypican-3 expression induces apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common internal malignant tumors. Glypican-3 (GPC3) is involved in the biological and molecular events in the tumorigenesis of HCC. We used RNA interference to evaluate the molecular effects of GPC3 suppression at the translational level and demonstrated for the first time that GPC3 silencing results in a significant elevation of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and the activation of caspase-3. The results suggest that GPC3 regulates cell proliferation by enhancing the resistance to apoptosis through the dysfunction of the Bax/Bcl-2/cytochrome c/caspase-3 signaling pathway and therefore plays a critical role in the tumorigenesis of HCC. Thus, the knockdown of GPC3 should be further investigated as an attractive novel approach for the targeted gene therapy of HCC.
authors.affiliation: The Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, Gansu, China.
authors.forename: Shiyuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yumin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Pengfei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Wenting
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Junqiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiangting
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D045304:Cytochromes c / Q000378:metabolism; D020868:Gene Silencing; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D053673:Glypicans / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy; D034622:RNA Interference; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D053673:Glypicans; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D045304:Cytochromes c; D053148:Caspase 3