Downregulation of KIAA1199 alleviated the activation, proliferation, and migration of hepatic stellate cells by the inhibition of epithelial–mesenchymal transition

KIAA1199, a major glycosaminoglycan component of the extracellular matrix, was reported to induce a fibrosis-like process. However, the relationship between KIAA1199 and liver fibrosis remains unclear. The liver fibrosis mouse model was established with carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)). Here, we found that KIAA1199 was upregulated in CCl(4)-induced liver fibrosis. The expression of KIAA1199 was also increased in TGF-β-stimulated LX-2 cells. To clarify the impact of KIAA1199 in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), we downregulated the expression of KIAA1199 in LX-2 cells by RNA interference. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, and migration were determined by CCK-8, flow cytometry, and transwell assay. We found that KIAA1199 knockdown reduced the expression of fibrosis markers α-SMA and COL1A1. Depletion of KIAA1199 inhibited cell proliferation by downregulating cyclin B1 and cyclin D1 and promoted cell apoptosis by upregulating Bax and downregulating Bcl-2. Moreover, KIAA1199 knockdown decreased matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 expression to inhibit the migration ability of LX-2 cells. Silencing KIAA1199 also suppressed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition phenomenon. Collectively, our study revealed that KIAA1199 knockdown alleviated the activation, proliferation, and migration of HSCs, while promoting apoptosis of HSCs, which suggests that KIAA1199 may be a potential regulator of liver fibrosis.