Liver Cancer
Copyright ©2008 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 28, 2008; 14(32): 5008-5014
Published online Aug 28, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.5008
Positional and expressive alteration of prohibitin during the induced differentiation of human hepatocarcinoma SMMC-7721 cells
Dong-Hui Xu, Jian Tang, Qi-Fu Li, Song-Lin Shi, Xiang-Feng Chen, Ying Liang
Dong-Hui Xu, Department of Hepatic Biliary Pancreatic Vascular Surgery, 1st Hospital of Xiamen, Fujian Medical University, Xiamen 361003, Fujian Province, China
Jian Tang, Qi-Fu Li, Song-Lin Shi, Xiang-Feng Chen, Ying Liang, The Key Laboratory of Chinese Ministry of Education for Cell Biology and Tumor Cell Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian Province, China
Author contributions: Li QF designed research; Xu DH, Tang J, Shi SL, Chen XF and Liang Y performed research; Xu DH, Tang J and Li QF analyzed data; Tang J, Shi SL and Li QF wrote and revised the paper.
Supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30470877; Chinese Postdoctoral Science Foundation, No. 20070420754; and the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China, No. 2008J0302
Correspondence to: Dr. Qi-Fu Li, Laboratory of Cell Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, Fujian Province, China. chifulee@xmu.edu.cn
Telephone: +86-592-2185363 Fax: +86-592-2181015
Received: May 8, 2008
Revised: July 26, 2008
Accepted: August 2, 2008
Published online: August 28, 2008
Abstract

AIM: To explore the existence and distribution of prohibitin (PHB) in nuclear matrix and its co-localization with products of some related genes during the differentiation of human hepatocarcinoma SMMC-7721 cells.

METHODS: The nuclear matrix of the SMMC-7721 cells cultured with or without 5 × 10-3 mmol/L hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA) was selectively extracted. Western blot was used to analyze the expression of PHB in nuclear matrix; immunofluorescence microscope observation was used to analyze the distribution of PHB in cell. LCSM was used to observe the co-localization of PHB with products of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes.

RESULTS: Western blot analysis showed that PHB existed in the composition of nuclear matrix proteins and was down-regulated by HMBA treatment. Immunofluorescence observation revealed that PHB existed in the nuclear matrix, and its distribution regions and expression levels were altered after HMBA treatment. Laser scanning confocal microscopy revealed the co-localization between PHB and the products of oncogenes or tumor repression genes including c-fos, c-myc, p53 and Rb and its alteration of distributive area in the cells treated by HMBA.

CONCLUSION: These data confirm that PHB is a nuclear matrix protein, which is located in the nuclear matrix, and the distribution and expression of PHB and its relation with associated genes may play significant roles during the differentiation of SMMC-7721 cells.

Keywords: Prohibitin; Nuclear matrix; SMMC-7721 cells; Hexamethylamine; Bisacetamide; Cell differentiation