Prohibitin induces apoptosis in BGC823 gastric cancer cells through the mitochondrial pathway

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2012;13(8):3803-7. doi: 10.7314/apjcp.2012.13.8.3803.

Abstract

Prohibitin (PHB), an evolutionarily-conserved protein, has been found to be over-expressed in gastric cancer and be closely related with tumor malignancy. In this study, to investigate the relationship between PHB expression and cell apoptosis in the BGC823 gastric cancer cell line, low and high expression PHB in BGC823 cells was accomplished using RNA interference technology and gene transfer techniques. Cell proliferation, cell cycling, apoptosis, Bax, Bcl-2 and Cyt.c protein expression and the activation of Caspase-3,9 were assessed after 48 h. Over-expression of PHB gene in BGC823 cells resulted in slow cell growth, cell arrest in G2 phase, and an increased apoptosis ratio while the opposite was found for PHB under-expressing cells. In PHB over-expressing cells, the expression of Bax gene was increased, the expression of Bcl-2 was decreased, the activation level of Caspase-3, 9 was increased, but the activation level of Caspase-8 demonstrated no change. These results indicate that PHB induced apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Apoptosis*
  • Blotting, Western
  • Caspases / genetics
  • Caspases / metabolism
  • Cell Cycle
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cytochromes c / genetics
  • Cytochromes c / metabolism
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Humans
  • Mitochondria / metabolism*
  • Mitochondria / pathology
  • Prohibitins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / metabolism
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Small Interfering / genetics
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Repressor Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Repressor Proteins / genetics
  • Repressor Proteins / metabolism*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Signal Transduction
  • Stomach Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Stomach Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein / genetics
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein / metabolism

Substances

  • BAX protein, human
  • PHB protein, human
  • Prohibitins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
  • RNA, Messenger
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Repressor Proteins
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein
  • Cytochromes c
  • Caspases