Mutations of tumor suppressor gene PTEN mutations in hepatocellular carcinoma and its implications in tumor proliferation and apoptosis / 中华病理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study mutations of tumor suppressor gene PTEN in human hepatocellular carcinomas and its effects on the proliferation and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HHCC.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>(1) PCR-SSCP and sequence analysis were used to detect the mutations of the 5th and 8th exon of PTEN in 42 cases of human primary hepatocellular carcinoma. (2) Eukaryotic expression vectors of the wild-type (pEGFP-wt-PTEN) and the mutant type (pEGFP-PTEN, G129R) of PTEN were constructed. Lipofectamine 2000 mediated gene transfection was used to transfect hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HHCC, in which the PTEN protein is not expressed. Culture medium containing G418 was used to select stable transfectants. MTT colorimetry was used to analyze the proliferation ability of selected cell lines. Naive HHCC cells and HHCC cells transfected with empty vector (pEGFP-C1) served as controls. (3) TNF-alpha was used to induce apoptosis of selected cell clones.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) Point mutation involving the 5th exon of PTEN was detected in 4 of 42 primary hepatocellular carcinomas. (2) Compared with the control groups, the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells was significantly inhibited by the transfection of wild-type PTEN gene, while the transfection with mutant PTEN construct did not significantly change the proliferation. (3) The apoptosis indices of cells transfected with the wild-type and the mutant PTEN genes were 13.8% and 8.1% respectively. Compared with the control, the apoptosis index of HHCC cell transfected by the wild type PTEN was significantly lower (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between HHCC cells transfected with mutated PTEN gene and the control (P > 0.05). The expression of internal 473-phosphorylated Akt of HHCC was weak, but was enhanced when the cells treated with TNF-alpha. However, it was down regulated by the wild type PTEN.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>(1) First time report that PTEN mutations can be found in 9.5% human primary hepatocellular carcinomas. (2) The expression of the wild-type PTEN can suppress the proliferation of HHCC cells, and such suppression was lost when PTEN gene was mutated. (3) PTEN inhibition of the proliferation and the enhancement of apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells is likely related to a down-regulation of the TNF-alpha induced activation of protein kinase Akt pathway.</p>

Inhibitory effect of tumor suppressor gene PTEN on hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HHCC proliferation and its mechanisms of action / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of tumor suppressor gene PTEN on proliferation and cell cycle of hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HHCC.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Firstly, eukaryotic expression vectors of wild type and mutated type of PTEN gene were constructed, named as pEGFP-WT-PTEN and pEGFP-PTEN; G129R, respectively. Lipofectamine 2000 was used to transfect the constructed expression vectors into hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HHCC which was PTEN protein negative. G418 was used to select the cell clones constantly expressing PTEN protein. Flow cytometry was used to assay the cell cycle of HHCC transfected by above mentioned eukaryotic expression vectors and non-transfected cell line HHCC. Intrinsic 473-phosphorylated AKT representing the level of active AKT was assayed by Western blot. The non-transfected HHCC served as control.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The proliferation of HHCC constantly expressing PTEN protein was obviously inhibited compared with HHCC cells transfected with mutated PTEN gene and empty vectors, and non-transfected HHCC cells. The number of HHCC cells transfected with wild type PTEN gene at G(1) phase, G(2) phase and S phase was 70.8%, 6.8% and 22.4%, respectively. Compared with control group transfected with empty vector, the number of G(1) phase HHCC cells constantly expressing wild type-PTEN protein was significantly higher than that of control. The number of cells in G(2) and S phase was significantly lower than that of control. However, the number of cells in G(1) phase, G(2) phase and S phase of HHCC transfected with mutant PTEN was 63.2%, 10.1% and 26.7%, respectively. There was no significant difference compared with control group. Western blot result showed that the intrinsic level of 473-phosphorylated AKT of HHCC constantly expressing wild type PTEN protein was down-regulated, and that of HHCC transfected with mutated PTEN gene was equal to that of control.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Wild type PTEN gene can inhibit the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells at G(1) phase. The mechanism is possibly related with intrinsic activity of AKT, which is down-regulated by wild type PTEN.</p>