ABSTRACT
This study investigated the effect of RhoC GTPase on the proliferation and metastasis of cervical cancer cells, SiHa cells, in vitro. RhoC siRNA was introduced into SiHa cells to silence the RhoC gene. The mRNA and protein expression of RhoC, before and after RhoC siRNA transfection,was examined by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. The proliferation and apoptosis of SiHa cells were examined by MTT assay and flow cytometry (FACS), respectively. Adhesive rate was evaluated by Matrigel adhesive assay, and the invasive capability and migration capability were assessed by transwell invasive assay and migration assay, respectively. The results showed that after the RhoC siRNA transfection, the mRNA and protein expression of RhoC was down-regulated in SiHa cells. The down-regulation of RhoC GTPase did not affect the cell proliferation and apoptosis (P>0.05), but it did suppress SiHa cells' adhesion to matrigel (P<0.01), the invasive capability (P<0.01) and the migration capability (P<0.01). It was concluded that RhoC obviously promotes the adhesion, invasion and migration of SiHa cells in vitro, but not proliferation and apoptosis, suggesting that RhoC plays an important rote in the progression in cervical cancer.