BAP31 Promotes Proliferation, Invasion, and Metastasis of Liver Cancer Cells via Activating PI3K/AKT Pathway

BACKGROUND: Many breakthroughs have been made in the clinical treatment of liver cancer, but there are still many liver cancer patients with limited treatment methods. Therefore, it is very important to find targets for early diagnosis and specific treatment of liver cancer. METHODS: During the operation, 32 pairs of tumor tissues and corresponding normal liver tissues were acquired from patients. The mRNA expression was measured by qPCR. The protein expression was evaluated via Western blot. Flow cytometry assay was performed to measure the cells apoptosis. CCK-8 assay was performed to detect cell proliferation. Transwell chamber assay was applied to detect migration and invasion of SNU-449 cells. RESULTS: BAP31 was upregulated in liver cancer tissues and cells. Knockdown of BAP31 repressed cell proliferation and enhanced cell apoptosis of liver cancer. Knockdown of BAP31 apparently upregulated apoptosis-related proteins (Bax and Caspase-3), while it downregulated antiapoptotic proteins (Bcl-2). Knockdown of BAP31 repressed migration and invasion of SNU-449 cells. In contrast with the control and si-NC group, protein expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 was obviously lower after si-BAP31 transfection of cells. Knockdown of BAP31 repressed PI3K/AKT signaling pathways in liver cancer cells. CONCLUSION: Knockdown of BAP31 repressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in liver cancer by suppressing PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways.