RESUMO
Objective To investigate the possible effects of COL8A1 on the proliferation, invasion and drug sensitivity of murine hepatocarcinoma cell line Hca-F, we used an RNA interference (RNAi) approach to silence COL8A1 expression. Methods The expression levels of COL8A1 in HcaF/siRNA cells were assessed by RT-PCR and Western blot. The inhibitory effect of RNAi on Hca-F cell invasion in vitro was demonstrated by ECM invasion assay. The in vitro proliferative ability and drug sensitivity of COL8A1-deficient cells were determined by MTT assay. Results The expression of COL8A1 was significantly reduced in COL8A1/siRNA cells after 30h transfection, compared with both the RNAi control and the Hca-F cells. The reduced COL8A1 expression also attenuated the proliferative, invasive ability, as well as increased drug sensitivity of Hca-F/siRNA cells. Conclusion Our current results indicate that the expression of COL8A1 functionally mediates tumor cell proliferation, invasion, and drug sensitivity, and is a potential target for therapeutic anti-cancer drugs.