Stathmin is a microtubule-destabilizing protein ubiquitously expressed in vertebrates and overexpressed in a variety of human malignancies. Down-regulation of its expression will contribute to optimize therapeutic outcomes in the treatment of these malignancies. This research aimed to demonstrate effects of stathmin expression silencing on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell adhesion and motility behavior in vitro and further reveal significance of stathmin expression in tissues associated with hepatocarcinogenesis. The expression of stathmin in normal liver, hepatitis, cirrhosis and HCC tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry analysis (IHC), stathmin expression was inhibited in an HCC cell line-HCCLM3 with high metastatic potential by small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). After transfection with siRNAs, HCCLM3 cells proliferation was detected by CCK-8 (cell count kit), cell apoptosis was analyzed by FACS, cell adhesion was investigated by cell adhesion assay and motility ability was demonstrated by in vitro migration and invasion assays. Stathmin expression was up-regulated in HCC tissues, especially in metastatic HCC tissues, compared with normal liver, hepatitis and hepatic cirrhosis tissues. Expression of stathmin in HCCLM3 cells was efficiently inhibited by specific siRNAs. Silencing of stathmin expression obviously suppressed HCCLM3 cell proliferation and markedly induced cell apoptosis. Moreover, defect of stathmin expression in HCCLM3 cell inhibited cell adhesion, restrained cell migration and repressed invasion. Stathmin expression correlates with hepatocarcinogenesis and tumor progression. This molecule may be a promising therapeutic target in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

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