Relationship between CD36 and cell proliferation and migration in hepatocellular carcinoma and its effect on human hepatocellular carcinoma cell xenograft models in nude mice
10.3760/cma.j.cn115355-20230529-00279
- VernacularTitle:CD36与肝细胞癌细胞增殖和迁移的关系及其对人肝癌细胞异种移植裸鼠模型的影响
- Author:
Lihong ZHANG
1
;
Wei WU
;
Guangcai XU
;
Peijian ZHANG
;
Lide TAO
Author Information
1. 扬州大学附属医院肝胆外科，扬州 225012
- Keywords:
Carcinoma, hepatocellular;
Antigens, CD36;
Cell proliferation;
Cell movement
- From:
Cancer Research and Clinic
2024;36(2):98-104
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To observe the expression of CD36 in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and cell lines, and to investigate the effects of CD36 on the proliferation and migration abilities of human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines and human hepatocellular carcinoma cell xenograft models in nude mice.Methods:Differences in the expression levels of CD36 transcripts in 371 hepatocellular carcinoma and paracancerous tissues were analyzed based on information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Cancer tissues and corresponding paracancerous tissues of 48 hepatocellular carcinoma patients who were diagnosed and underwent surgical treatment at the Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University from January 2019 to February 2021 were prospectively collected, and the levels of CD36 mRNA in the tissues were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) method. Western blotting was used to detect CD36 protein levels in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines Huh7 and HCCLM3 and human normal liver cell line LO2. Plasmids containing CD36 interfering sequences and empty plasmids were transfected into Huh7 cells or HCCLM3 cells for sh-CD36 group and control group, respectively. The CCK-8 assay was used to detect the proliferation ability (expressed as absorbance value) of cells in each group at 0, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 h of culture, and the scratch healing assay and Transwell assay were used to detect the migration ability of cells in each group. The Huh7 cells of sh-CD36 group or control group were injected into the axillary subcutis of BALB/c nude mice, with 4 mice in each group, to construct nude mice models of human hepatocellular carcinoma xenografts; the long and short diameters of tumor were measured weekly after 1 week of inoculation, and the tumor volume was calculated. The nude mice were put to death after 5 weeks of inoculation, and the tumor specimens were collected and weighed; the tumor cell morphology was observed under the microscope, and the expressions of CD36 and Ki-67 proteins in the tumor tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC).Results:Analysis of the data from the TCGA database showed that the level of CD36 transcripts was higher in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues compared with that in paracancerous tissues (4.2±1.8 vs. 3.2±1.5, t = 2.28, P = 0.035). Tissues detection using qRT-PCR in 48 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma showed that the relative expression of CD36 mRNA in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues was higher than that in paracancerous tissues (0.76±0.26 vs. 0.48±0.23, t = 3.52, P < 0.001). Western blotting assay showed that CD36 protein level in Huh7 and HCCLM3 cells was higher than that in LO2 cells, which were (1.42±0.11) times and (1.68±0.16) times higher than LO2 cells, respectively (both P < 0.001). At the mRNA and protein levels, the CD36 of Huh7 and HCCLM3 cells in the sh-CD36 group was lower than that in the corresponding control group (both P < 0.001). CCK-8 assay showed that the proliferative ability of Huh7 cells and HCCLM3 cells in the sh-CD36 group was lower than that in the corresponding control group after 36 and 24 h of culture (both P < 0.01). Scratch healing assay showed that the scratch healing rates of Huh7 cells [(12±3)% vs. (30±5)%, t = 4.01, P < 0.001] and HCCLM3 cells [(15±4)% vs. (29±5)%, t = 4.16, P < 0.001] in the sh-CD36 group were lower than those in the corresponding control group at 48 h of culture; Transwell assay showed that the number of Huh7 cells [(46±6) cells/field of view vs. (88± 6) cells/field of view, t = 5.56, P < 0.001] and HCCLM3 cells [(42±5) cells/field of view vs. (82±7) cells/field of view, t = 5.34, P < 0.001] penetrating into the membrane in 24 h in the sh-CD36 group was less than that in the corresponding control group. Five weeks after subcutaneous injection, the tumor volume [(682±268) mm 3vs. (1 375±512) mm 3, t = 4.73, P = 0.006] and tumor mass [(432±95) mg/mouse vs. (871±109) mg/mouse, t = 6.57, P < 0.001] of nude mice injected with Huh7 cells of the sh-CD36 group were lower than those of nude mice injected with Huh7 cells of the control group; under the microscope, the density of tumor cells in transplanted tumor specimens of nude mice injected with Huh7 cells of the sh-CD36 group was lower than that in nude mice injected with Huh7 cells of the control group, and the expression levels of both CD36 and Ki-67 proteins were also low. Conclusions:CD36 expression is up-regulated in cancer tissues of hepatocellular carcinoma patients and human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines Huh7 and HCCLM3, and it may associate with cell proliferation and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma. Knockdown of CD36 expression significantly inhibits the proliferation and migration abilities of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro, and inhibits the tumors of human hepatocellular carcinoma cell xenograft models in nude mice.
