RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the role of centromere protein H (CENP-H) in the proliferation of human gastric cancer cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>RT-PCR and Western blot analysis were employed to examine the mRNA and protein expressions of CENP-H in 7 human gastric cancer cell lines and immortalized human gastric epithelial cells (GES-1). The cells were infected with the retrovirus vectors pMSCV-CENP-H or CENP-H-RNAi to establish stable cell lines with high CENP-H expression or CENP-H expression interference. MTT assay and colony formation assay were used to examine the changes in the cell proliferation after the infection.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>CENP-H was over-expressed in gastric cancer cell lines AGS, BGC823, SGC-7901, MKN45, HGC27, MGC-803 and MKN28 at both mRNA and protein levels. The established AGS/CENP-H cell line with increased CENP-H expression showed enhanced proliferative activity, while the cell line MGC-803/CENP-H-RNAi with CENP-H expression interference showed an obviously lowered proliferation ability.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CENP-H promotes the proliferation of human gastric cancer cells, suggesting its important role in the occurrence and development of gastric cancer.</p>