The inhibitory effect of RNAi on STAT3 gene and its effects on HepG_2 cells

Objective To study the effects of silencing signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) with RNA interference (RNAi) technique on the growth and apoptosis in HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells.Methods Three recombinant plasmids pGenesil-1-shRNA-STAT3 are constructed and transfected into HepG2 cells. The expression of STAT3 gene was detected by RT-PCR and western blot. MTT was used to determine the change of cell proliferation of HepG2 cells. Results Three pGenesil-1-shRNA-STAT3 recombinant plasmids were successfully constructed, and transfected into HepG2 cells. RT-PCR and western blot analysis demonstrated that pGenesil-1-shRNA-STAT3 could significantly inhibit the expression of STAT3 in HepG2 cells;MTT results showed that they could suppress the growth of HepG2 cells. Conclusion Silence of STAT3 with shRNA could significantly inhibit STAT3 expression and suppress the growth of HepG2 cells.