Original Article
Copyright ©2012 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Apr 28, 2012; 18(16): 1903-1914
Published online Apr 28, 2012. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i16.1903
siRNA targeting of Cdx2 inhibits growth of human gastric cancer MGC-803 cells
Xiao-Tong Wang, Yu-Bo Xie, Qiang Xiao
Xiao-Tong Wang, Qiang Xiao, Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Yu-Bo Xie, Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Author contributions: Xiao Q and Xie YB contributed equally to this work; Wang XT was involved in the execution of the experiments; Wang XT and Xie YB performed statistical analysis and drafted the manuscript; Xiao Q and Xie YB were involved in experimental design, coordinating the experiments and manuscript preparation.
Supported by Grants from the Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81060201 and No. 81060277; the Higher School Specialized Research Foundation for the Doctoral Program of China, No. 20114503110002; the Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China, No. 201003342; and the Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi, No. 2011GXNSFA018273
Correspondence to: Qiang Xiao, Professor, Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. xiaoqiang20050@yahoo.com.cn
Telephone: +86-771-5358325 Fax: +86-771-5358325
Received: July 4, 2011
Revised: September 7, 2011
Accepted: April 5, 2012
Published online: April 28, 2012
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the effects of small interference RNA (siRNA) targeting of Cdx2 on human gastric cancer MGC-803 cells in vitro and in vivo.

METHODS: The recombinant pSilencer 4.1-Cdx2 siRNA plasmids were constructed and transfected into gastric cancer MGC-803 cells in vitro. The stable transfectants were selected. The effects of Cdx2 siRNA on growth, proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, migration and invasiveness of human gastric cancer MGC-803 cells were evaluated and the expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), caspase-9 and caspase-3 was observed in vitro by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting analysis. We also investigated the effect of Cdx2 siRNA on growth of MGC-803 cells in nude mice in vivo.

RESULTS: Cdx2 siRNA led to inhibition of endogenous Cdx2 mRNA and protein expression as determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis. Cdx2 siRNA significantly inhibited cell growth and proliferation, blocked entry into the S-phase of the cell cycle, induced cell apoptosis, and reduced the motility and invasion of MGC-803 cells. Cdx2 siRNA also increased PTEN expression, and activated caspase-9 and caspase-3 in MGC-803 cells in vitro . In addition, siRNA targeting of Cdx2 inhibited the growth of MGC-803 cells and promoted tumor cell apoptosis in vivo in nude mice tumor models.

CONCLUSION: Cdx2 was involved in regulating pro-gression of human gastric cancer cells MGC-803. Manipulation of Cdx2 expression may be a potential therapeutic strategy for gastric cancer.

Keywords: Cdx2, Gastric cancer, Growth, Small interference RNA