ABSTRACT
@# Objective: To investigate the expression of CARD10 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues, and the roles of CARD10 in HCC progression especially apoptosis inhibition. Methods: The expression of CARD10 was examined in pared non-tumor liver tissues and HCC tissues using qRT-PCR, and their correlation with HCC TNM stage was analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation assay in SPSS 17.0. In HCC cells with CARD10 overexpression or knockdown, cytometry using Annexin-V/PI labeling was used to measure apoptosis, and Western blotting was used to determine the activation of NF-κB pathway. Results: CARD10 expression was significantly increased in HCC tissues as compared to that in pared non-tumor liver tissues (P<0.01), and the increased CARD10 in HCC was positively correlated with TNM staging (P<0.01). The apoptosis of HCC cell lines SMMC-7721 and BEL-7402 was inhibited by CARD10 overexpression while promoted by CARD10 knockdown, and the pro-survival NF-κB pathway was also enhanced by CARD 10 over-expression while suppressed by CARD10 knockdown. Conclusion: CARD10 expression is increased in HCC tissues and positively correlated with HCC progression. CARD10 inhibits HCC apoptosis by promoting the activation of NF-κB pathway. [Key words] hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); caspase recruitment domain family member 10 (CARD10); apoptosis; NF-κB