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Published on: April 1, 2021
Analysis of cellular changes resulting from forced expression of Dickkopf-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells
Mi Hee Kwack1, Sun Young Hwang, In Seok Jang
1Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.
Purpose:
Recent studies have shown that Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) is overexpressed in some tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the role of increased DKK-1 in these tumors is not known. In this study, the DKK-1 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines was evaluated and the effect of DKK-1 overexpression in HCC cell lines was studied.
Materials And Methods:
The expression of DKK-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines was evaluated by RT-PCR. Stable cell lines that overexpressed DKK-1 were established. Cell growth, adhesion, migration and invasion assays were performed.
Results:
RT-PCR analysis showed that 5 out of 8 HCC cell lines expressed DKK-1. The forced expression of DKK-1 suppressed the growth of cells and increased the population of cells in the sub-G1 phase. In addition, DKK-1 reduced the cellular adhesion capacity to collagen type I and fibronectin, and it increased migratory capacity. However, overexpression of DKK-1 did not increase the invasion capacity of the HCC cell line.
Conclusion:
Collectively, our data suggest that overexpression of DKK-1 affects the biology of HCC cells.
