EFFECT OF FPN1 ON THE PROLIFERATION, INVASION, AND MIGRATION OF HEPATOMA CELLS THROUGH PHOSPHORYLATION OF THE STAT3-AKT PATHWAY

Yansong Xu¹, Lin Shen², Hongsheng Wang^{1, *}

¹Department of Liver and Gall Surgical, Affiliated Hospital of BeiHua University, Jilin 132012, Jilin Province, China - ²Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of BeiHua University, Jilin 132012, Jilin Province, China

Objective: To analyze the effect of FPN1 on the proliferation, invasion, and migration of hepatoma cells through phosphorylation of the STAT3-AKT pathway. 

Methods: HepG2 cells were cultured in vitro and were transfected with shRNA-FPN1, OE-FPN1, and corresponding empty vector plasmids. The cells were divided into an interference control group, a shRNA-FPN1 group, an overexpression control group, and an OE-FPN1 group. The proliferation, invasion, and migration ability of HepG2 cells in each group were detected, respectively, and the expression of AKT and STAT3 (protein and phosphorylated protein, respectively) were detected by the western blot technique. 

Results: Compared with the interference control group, the shRNA-FPN1 group FPN1 mRNA expression was significantly reduced (P<0.05); compared with the overexpression control group, the OE-FPN1 group FPN1 mRNA expression was significantly increased. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The number of cell clones formed in the shRNA-FPN1 group was significantly higher than that in the interference control group (P<0.05), and the number of cell clones formed in the OE-FPN1 group was significantly lower than that in the overexpression control group (P<0.05). The number of cells across the basement membrane and cell migration distance in the shRNA-FPN1 group were significantly higher than those in the interference control group (P<0.05). The number of cells across the basement membrane and cell migration distance in the OE-FPN1 group were significantly lower than those in the overexpression control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The expression of the p-AKT and p-STAT3 proteins in the shRNA-FPN1 group was significantly higher than that of the interference control group (P<0.05); the expression of the p-AKT and p-STAT3 proteins in the OE-FPN1 group was significantly lower than that of the overexpression control group. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). 

Conclusion: Inhibiting the expression of FPN1 can obviously promote the proliferation, invasion, and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma, and its related mechanism may be related to the activation of the STAT3-AKT signaling pathway.