title: Inhibition of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) in gallbladder cancer cells leads to decreased growth in vitro.
abstract: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is an aggressive neoplasm associated with late diagnosis, unsatisfactory treatment and poor prognosis. Previous work showed that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression is increased in this malignancy. This matricellular protein plays an important role in various cellular processes and its involvement in the tumorigenesis of several human cancers has been demonstrated. However, the precise function of CTGF expression in cancer cells is yet to be determined. The aim of this study was to evaluate the CTGF expression in gallbladder cancer cell lines, and its effect on cell viability, colony formation and in vitro cell migration. CTGF expression was evaluated in seven GBC cell lines by Western blot assay. Endogenous CTGF expression was downregulated by lentiviral shRNA directed against CTGF mRNA in G-415 cells, and the effects on cell viability, anchorage-independent growth and migration was assessed by comparing them to scrambled vector-transfected cells. Knockdown of CTGF resulted in significant reduction in cell viability, colony formation and anchorage-independent growth (P < 0.05). An increased p27 expression was observed in G-415 cells with loss of CTGF function. Our results suggest that high expression of this protein in gallbladder cancer may confer a growth advantage for neoplastic cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, BIOREN-CEGIN, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Leal
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ili
authors.forename: Priscilla
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brebi
authors.forename: Hector
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Roa
mesh_terms: D015153:Blotting, Western; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C526317:CCN2 protein, human; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; C413374:p27 antigen; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor