ABSTRACT
AIM:To identify the expression of fermitin family homolog 2 (FERMT2) in hepatocellular carci-noma ( HCC) tissues and the effect of FERMT 2 on the cell growth and related protein expression .METHODS:Real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to detect FERMT 2 expression in the HCC tissues .The technique of CRISPR/Cas9 was applied to construct stable FERMT2 knockout MHCC97H cell line.WST-1 assay and flow cytometry were used to measure the cell viability , cell-cycle distribution and cell apoptosis .Western blot was used to determine the expression of related proteins in the MHCC97H cells.RESULTS:In HCC tissues, the expression level of FERMT2 was higher than that in adjacent liver tissues (P<0.05).High expression of FERMT2 was significantly correlated with postoperative recurrence of tumor.Knockout of FERMT2 gene evidently inhibited MHCC97H cell viability and accelerated cell apoptosis .Mean-while, the expression levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen , cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases 2 and anti-apoptotic fac-tors were significantly downregulated in MHCC97H cells with FERMT2 knockout (P<0.05).CONCLUSION:FERMT2 may function as a promoter of hepatocarcinogenesis and progression via regulating the cell viability , cell-cycle distribution and cell apoptosis , which is related with the expression of cell cycle regulators and anti-apoptotic factors .