Sperm-associated antigen 9 is upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma tissue and enhances QGY cell proliferation and invasion in vitro

Ren,Biqiong; Zou,Guoying; He,Junyu; Huang,Yiran; Ma,Guoan; Xu,Guofeng; Li,Yong; Yu,Ping

doi:10.3892/ol.2017.7270

Sperm-associated antigen 9 is upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma tissue and enhances QGY cell proliferation and invasion in vitro

Authors:
- Biqiong Ren
- Guoying Zou
- Junyu He
- Yiran Huang
- Guoan Ma
- Guofeng Xu
- Yong Li
- Ping Yu
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Affiliations: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Provincial Second People's Hospital, Changsha, Hunan 410007, P.R. China, Clinical Medical School, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410007, P.R. China, Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410078, P.R. China
Published online on: October 26, 2017 https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2017.7270
Pages: 415-422

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Abstract

The incidence and mortality rates of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are higher in China compared with in other countries. Further research is required in order to improve the diagnosis and treatment of HCC. Sperm‑associated antigen 9 (SPAG9) protein has been revealed to serve an important function in cancer progression; however, the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. The present study investigated the expression level of SPAG9 in HCC tissues using quantitative‑polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry and western blotting, and the results demonstrated that SPAG9 was overexpressed in HCC tissues compared with the adjacent non‑cancerous tissues. To explore the potential mechanisms underlying SPAG9 in HCC, the effect of SPAG9 on cell proliferation, cell cycle, migration and invasion capacities were investigated in the QGY HCC cell line by RNA interference. It was revealed that inhibition of SPAG9 mRNA in QGY cells significantly inhibited the expression level of SPAG9 compared with the control. Depletion of SPAG9 expression decreased cell proliferation (P<0.01) and increased the percentage of cells in the G1/G2 cell cycle phase. The percentage of cells in the S phase was decreased, and cell migration and invasion capabilities in vitro were reduced (P<0.01). In summary, the results of the present study suggested that SPAG9 was upregulated in HCC and may serve an important function in cancer cell proliferation, differentiation and invasion. Whether SPAG9 is a potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic target of human HCC requires additional study.

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