Objective: To study the effect of tissue factor (TF) on human hepatocellular carcinoma cells when their inner TF gene was knocked down by RNA interference.
Methods: The eukaryotic expression vector bearing siRNA sequence that targeted at TF gene was transfected into human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2. RT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the changes of TF gene expression. Transwell invasion assay invitro were used to show the invasive ability of HepG2 cells with transfected pGPU6/GFP/Neo-TFsiRNA.
Results: RT-PCR and Western blot analysis showed that HepG2 cells with pGPU6/GFP/Neo-TFsiRNA transfected decreased the endogenous TF gene expression. Correspondingly the mean invading cells was 14 ± 10 for pGPU6/GFP/Neo-TFsiRNA transfection and 128 ± 18 for the NCsiRNA transfection, respectively by the Transwell invasion test in vitro (P < 0.05). The results indicated that the invasive ability of the HepG2 cells with pGPU6/GFP/Neo-TFsiRNA transfected decreased obviously.
Conclusions: TF is involved in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma and inhibiting the expression of TF can decrease the invasion and metastasis ability of tumor cell in vitro.