Differential gene expression profiles of PPP2R5C-siRNA-treated malignant T cells

Recently, alterations in the expression pattern of PPP2R5C associated with malignant transformation have been characterized, and PPP2R5C overexpression was demonstrated in leukemias. To confirm the role of PPP2R5C in proliferation and its molecular mechanism, three PPP2R5C-siRNAs and a scrambled nonsilencing siRNA control were used to treat Molt-4 and Jurkat T cells. After nucleofection, PPP2R5C expression and biological consequences based on a highly efficient and specific PPP2R5C-siRNA were demonstrated by qRT-PCR, CCK-8 assay, Annexin V/PI, and flow cytometry. The global gene expression profile of PPP2R5C-siRNA-treated Jurkat T cells was established. A significant reduction in the PPP2R5C mRNA level was observed at 24 to 72 h in Molt-4 and Jurkat T cells with all of the PPP2R5C-siRNAs. The proliferation rate of Molt-4 and Jurkat T cells transfected with different PPP2R5C-siRNAs was significantly decreased at 72 h compared with the control (p<0.05). However, the transfected cells did not show a significant increase in Annexin V/PI-positive cells (apoptosis). The highly efficient PPP2R5C-siRNA2 was used to treat Jurkat T cells for gene expression profile analysis. In total, 439 genes were upregulated, and 524 genes were downregulated at least twofold in PPP2R5C-siRNA-treated Jurkat T cells. Changes in signaling pathway genes closely related to the TCR, Wnt, calcium, MAPK, and p53 signaling pathways were observed. In conclusion, the suppression of PPP2R5C by RNA interference could effectively inhibit the proliferation of leukemic T cells, the PPP2R5C-siRNA treatment altered gene expression profiles, and the differential expression of the glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3β), ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM), and Mdm2 p53 binding protein homolog (MDM2) genes may play an important role in the effects of PPP2R5C knockdown in Jurkat T cells.