Downregulation of RNA binding motif protein 17 expression inhibits proliferation of hypopharyngeal carcinoma FaDu cells

RNA binding motif protein 17 (RBM17) is a protein-coding gene. The protein encoded by RBM17 is involved in the regulation of alternative splicing and is overexpressed in cancer. The present study aimed to determine the effect of RBM17-knockdown in hypopharyngeal carcinoma FaDu cells using the lentivirus-mediated shRNA method. Cell proliferation was detected by an MTT assay. Flow cytometry analysis was used to determine cell cycle distribution and apoptosis. The results of the present study demonstrated that RBM17 expression was significantly decreased in FaDu cells infected with lentivirus-shRNA. Knockdown of RBM17 expression by shRNA significantly reduced cell proliferation, augmented cell apoptosis and arrested cells at the G(2)/M phase in FaDu cells. The results of the present study indicate that RBM17 serves a notable role in cell proliferation, cell cycle progression and apoptosis of hypopharyngeal carcinoma cells.