Published online Jan 15, 2003. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v9.i1.84
Revised: July 4, 2002
Accepted: July 12, 2002
Published online: January 15, 2003
AIM: To investigate the effects of p16 gene on biological behavious in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
METHODS: HCC cell lines SNU-449 and HepG2.2.15 were infected respectively by a replication defective, recombinant retrovirus capable of producing a high level of p16 protein expression (pCLXSN-p16). G418 resistant stable p16 protein expression cell lines were selected. And the biological behaviours of the p16 gene transfected HCC cells were observed.
RESULTS: Initial in vitro experiments in HCC cell line SNU-449 with loss of p16 protein expression demonstrated the pCLXSN-p16 treatment significantly inhibited cell growth. But there was no treatment effect when the pCLXSN-p16 was used in another HCC cell line HepG2.2.15 which has positive p16 protein expression. Subsequent study in a nude mouse model demonstrated that the p16 gene transfected SNU-449 had a lower succeeding rate in the first time establishment of tumors and grew more slowly in the nude mice when compared with non-transfected SNU-449. Moreover, the nude mice inoculated with transfected SNU-449 had a longer surviving time than those inoculated with non-transfected SNU-449.
CONCLUSION: Our results show that the p16INK4a gene transfer can inhibit the proliferation and reduce the invasion ability of hepatocellular carcinoma.