Inhibitory effect of RNA interference targeting hTERT gene of Hela cells

Objective To explore the inhibitory effect of RNA interference(RNAi) targeting human telomerase reverse transcriptase(hTERT) gene of cervical carcinoma Hela cells.Methods Small interfering RNAs(siRNAs) targeting hTERT gene was synthesized with chemical technique,and siRNAs were transfected into Hela cells by cationic lipofection.Cervical carcinoma Hela cells were divided into six groups,blank group(untransfected Hela cells group),negative group(negative control siRNA group),siRNA 1,2,3 and 4 groups(RNA interference groups).The telomerase hTERT mRNA and hTERT protein were detected with reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting technique,respectively.The proliferation of the Hela cell was analyzed with MTS,and flow cytometry was used to observe apoptosis of the Hela cell mediated by siRNA.Results Transfection of siRNA1-3 and the hTERT mRNA and protein expressions were significantly lower,and the apoptosis rate increased obviously,which were significantly different from those in blank group(P0.01),and there was no significant difference between blank group and negative group(P0.05).Conclusion RNAi can specifically silence the hTERT gene of cervical carcinoma Hela cells by down-regulating the expression levels of the hTERT mRNA and its protein.Therefore,RNAi can inhibit the proliferation of the cancer cells and induce their apoptosis.The experimental evidence of gene therapy for cervical carcinoma cells might be expected.