Effects of HIF-1α silencing on proliferation of rat hepatoma cells

AIM: To study the effect of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α(HIF-1α) silencing on the proliferation of hepatoma cells under hypoxia.METHODS: Rat hepatoma cell line CBRH-7919 was used in this study.Hypoxia model was established by treating the cells with cobalt chloride(CoCl2).The expression of HIF-1α was silenced by small interference RNA.Real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and / or protein expression of HIF-1α,vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),p21 and cyclin D1 in CBRH-7919 cells under hypoxia.The proliferation of CBRH-7919 cells was measured by the technique of 5-bromo-2’-deoxyuridine(BrdU) incorporation.RESULTS: The expression of HIF-1α and VEGF at mRNA and protein levels was significantly increased under hypoxia(P 0.05).Silencing of HIF-1α significantly inhibited the expression of HIF-1α,VEGF and cyclin D1 at mRNA and / or protein levels,while increased the protein expression of p21(P 0.05).The BrdU-positive cells in HIF-1α siRNA transfection group were significantly less than those in control group.CONCLUSION: HIF-1α silencing significantly inhibits the proliferation of hepatoma cells under hypoxia.