Objective: The effect and mechanism of Galectin-3 gene expression on proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) were investigated.
Methods: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR) and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein of Galectin-3 gene in OSCC. OSCC Tca8113 was divided into control, negative control, and Galectin-3 transfection groups. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of Galectin-3, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9, Cleaved Caspase-3, β-catenin, and Cyclin D1 protein after transfection for 48 h in each group. Cell proliferation was detected by CCK8. Cell invasion ability was detected by using a Transwell chamber. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry.
Results: The mRNA and protein expression levels of Galectin-3 gene in OSCC were significantly higher than those in adjacent tissues (P<0.01). Galectin-3 protein expression in Tca8113 cells significantly decreased after RNA interference. Cell survival rate and invasion as well as MMP-2, MMP-9, β-catenin, and Cyclin D1 protein expression were significantly lower than the blank group. Apoptosis rate and Cleaved Caspase-3 protein expression were significantly higher than the control group (P<0.01).
Conclusions: Inhibition of Galectin-3 gene expression in OSCC can significantly reduce the proliferation and invasion of cancer cells and induce apoptosis. The mechanism is related to downregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.
目的 探讨抑制口腔鳞状细胞癌（OSCC）中半乳糖凝集素-3（Galectin-3）基因的表达对癌细胞增殖、侵袭、凋亡的影响及机制。方法 逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）和蛋白质印迹（Western blotting）分别检测OSCC中Galectin-3 mRNA和蛋白表达；人OSCC Tca8113分为空白组、阴性对照组和Galectin-3转染组，转染48 h后，Western blotting检测各组细胞中Galectin-3、基质金属蛋白酶2（MMP-2）、基质金属蛋白酶9（MMP-9）、活化的含半胱氨酸的天冬氨酸蛋白水解酶3（Cleaved Caspase-3）、β-连环蛋白（β-catenin）、细胞周期素D1（Cyclin D1）蛋白表达；CCK8检测细胞增殖；Transwell小室检测细胞侵袭能力；流式细胞术检测细胞凋亡。结果 OSCC中Galectin-3 mRNA及蛋白表达均显著高于癌旁组织（P<0.01）；RNA干扰Galectin-3表达后Tca8113细胞中Galectin-3蛋白表达明显降低；Galectin-3转染组细胞存活率、细胞侵袭能力及MMP-2、MMP-9、β-catenin、Cyclin D1蛋白表达均显著低于空白组，细胞凋亡率及Cleaved Caspase-3蛋白表达均显著高于空白组（P<0.01）。结论 抑制OSCC中Galectin-3基因表达可显著降低癌细胞的增殖及侵袭能力，诱导细胞凋亡，其机制与下调Wnt/β-catenin信号通路有关。.
Keywords: Galectin-3 gene; apoptosis; invasion; oral squamous cell carcinoma; proliferation.