The Expression And Significance Of Metastasis-associated MTA1 Gene In Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Line HepG2 And Its Heterogeneous Sublines

Objective: To compare the differences in the morphological character and the migratory potentiality among two hepatocellular carcinoma cell sublines HepG2-H and HepG2-L with different metastatic property and their maternal line HepG2, and detect the expression level of metastasis associated gene 1 (MTA1) in these cells. To study and discuss the mechanism of MTA1 in hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis.Methods: Two hepatocellular carcinoma cell sublines HepG2-H and HepG2-L with different metastatic property and their maternal line HepG2 were cultured. The morphological characters were observed by inverted phase contrast microscope and the migratory potentialities were examined by the wound- healing assay in these cells. The expression of MTA1 mRNA and its protein were detected by semiquantitative RT-PCR, real-time qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry method in these cells respecticvely.Results: There are significant differences among the two hepatocellular carcinoma cell sublines HepG2-H and HepG2-L with different metastatic property and their maternal line HepG2 in their morphological characters and migratory potentialities (p＜0.01). There are differences in the expression of MTA1 both in mRNA and protein level in these cells: the expression of MTA1 mRNA and protein in HepG2-H, HepG2 was higher than in HepG2-L(p=0.000,p=0.008,p=0.033, p=0.038,＜0.05), the expression of MTA1 mRNA in HepG2-H was higher than in HepG2(p=0.004,＜0.05), but no difference in the protein expression level in these two cells(p=0.868,＞0.05); In these three hepatocellular carcinoma cells MTA1 protein distributes both in nuclear and in cytoplasm, but mostly in nuclear.Conclusion: There are heterogeneities in the morphlogical character, the migratory potentiality and the expression of MTA1 in the two hepatocellular carcinoma cell sublines HepG2-H, HepG2-L and their maternal line HepG2, and the migratory potentiality heterogeneity is related to the expression level of MTA1. MTA1 has an important role in accelerating the hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis.