ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Expression of human chorionic gonadotropin beta subunit (hCGß) by epithelial carcinomas is associated with a poor prognosis and has a proposed autocrine growth effect on cancer cells by inhibition of apoptosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We transduced the hCGß-expressing bladder cancer cell line SCaBER with short hairpin (sh) RNA lentiviral gene-specific (CGB) constructs and determined its impact on the synthesis of hCGß and the resultant effect on cancer cell growth. RESULTS: Stable CGB gene-silenced clones exhibited a 60%-80% reduction in the level of hCGß expressed and a reduced growth rate of more than 40% compared to wild-type SCaBER cells. CONCLUSIONS: shRNA Lentiviral particles achieve stable knockdown of hCGß translation in the bladder cancer cell line SCaBER. This transforms the phenotype by reducing hCGß expression and cell growth rate. This is consistent with the proposed autocrine/paracrine function of ectopic hCGß expression during oncogenesis.