Inhibitory Effects Of Antisense Oligodeoxynucleotides On β-catenin Gene Expression By Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Objective. To investigate the inhibitory effects of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides to different sequences on β-catenin gene expression by human hepatoma cells. Methods. SMMC 7721 cells were seeded into 6-well plates, followed by being transfected with different antisense oligonucleotides(AS-AUG,AS-UGA, scramble sequence). The total RNAs from the cells were extracted, and the expression of β-catenin and c-myc were examined by RT-PCR. The cell lysates were harvested and subjected to western blot analysis for β-catenin protein. The transfected cells were seeded into soft agrose for colony formation. Results. The ASODN had obviously sequence-specific inhibitory effect on β-catenin gene expression, with the ratio 0.75±0.08,0.42±0.10,0.15±0.06 and 0.11±0.05 on mRNA level, 61±5%,48±3%, 12±9% and 15±7% on protein level, respectively. AS-AUG showed the strongest inhibitory effect (P<0.01),compared with other three groups. The expressions of c-myc gene and colony formation showed to inhibited too. Conclusion. The antisense oligonucleotides complementary to β-catenin translation initial site, may become a potential alternative for antisense gene therapy of HCC.