RESUMO
Background: Ribosomal RNA processing 15 homolog (Rrp15) is a kind of protein mainly located in nucleolus and involved in ribosomal RNA processing. At present, not much research focusing on Rrp15, especially its expression, function and clinical significance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been reported. Aims: To investigate the expression of Rrp15 in HCC and its effects on patient's prognosis and proliferation of HCC cells. Methods: GEPIA website, TCGA database and surgical specimens of HCC were used to analyze the expression level of Rrp15 in HCC, its relationship with the clinicopathological characteristics and its influence on prognosis of patients. Lentivirus infection technology was used to construct Rrp15 gene knockdown human hepatoma cell line HuH7. Apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and cell proliferation were detected by flow cytometry, trypan blue staining and colony formation assay, respectively. Results: The expression levels of Rrp15 mRNA and protein in HCC were significantly higher than those in adjacent noncancerous tissues (P0.05). After knocking down Rrp15, the proportion of apoptotic cells and intracellular ROS production were significantly increased (P<0.05), and the short-term and long-term cell proliferation were significantly inhibited in HuH7 cells (P<0.05). Conclusions: Rrp15 is highly expressed in HCC and associated with the malignant biological behavior and poor prognosis. Knockdown of Rrp15 gene can significantly inhibit the proliferative ability of HCC cells.