The Expression And Function Study Of HIPK2 In Cervical Cancer

Background:Cervical cancer is one of the most common female cancers and its mortality rate remains the highest in the world. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is well recognized as the main cause of cervical cancer. However, some other genetic and epigenetic factors may contribute to cervical carcinogenesis. Homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) is a serine/threonine nuclear kinase that involved in the enhancement of apoptosis, inhibition of cell growth and is also thought to participate in the process of tumorigenesis. However, the relationship between HIPK2 and cervical carcinogenesis is still unclear.Methods:HIPK2 mRNA and protein expression levels were analyzed in normal and cervical cancer tissues by quantitative real-time RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) was used to investigate HPV-16 and -18 in cervical cancer tissues. To explore the role and mechanism of action of HIPK2 in cervical cancer development, RNA interference technology was used to analyze the effect of HIPK2 on apoptosis, cell growth, cell migration and invasion in cervical cancer cell line.Results:We found that HIPK2 mRNA and protein expression were significantly higher in cervical cancer than in normal cervical tissues. There was significant correlation between HIPK2 and HPV-16 and -18 in cervical cancer. Inhibition of HIPK2 by RNA interference caused dramatic reduction in apoptosis compared with controls in cervical cancer cells by down-regulating caspase-3. We also observed that HIPK2 RNAi induced cell growth as well as cell migration in cervical cancer cell line.Conclusion:The expression of HIPK2 may play an important role in cervical cancer development. There is a close correlation between HIPK2 and HPV-16 and -18 in cervical cancer. HIPK2 RNAi can inhibit cell apoptosis, induce cell growth and cell migration-stimulated in cervical cancer cells.