Prohibitin 1 inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis via the p53-mediated mitochondrial pathway in vitro

Figure 2 Prohibitin 1 inhibits the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. A: The Prohibitin 1 (PHB1) mRNA and protein levels in hepatocellular carcinoma cells were investigated using real-time PCR (upper panel) and Western blot (lower panel), respectively; B-E: HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cell viability was determined using MTT assays after transfection with pEGFP-PHB1 (B and C) or PHB1-specific shRNA (shRNA-PHB1; D and E) for 24, 48, or 72 h. The data are presented as the mean ± SD of three independent experiments with similar results. ^aP < 0.05, ^bP < 0.01, ^cP < 0.001 vs L-02 cells. ^dP < 0.05 and ^eP < 0.01 vs control and empty vector/shRNA-control, respectively. PHB1: Prohibitin 1.