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Abstract
Purpose: To test the radiosensitising effects of a tumour-suppressor gene, phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted from chromosome 10 (PTEN), in hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HCC).
Materials and methods: Radiation-induced wild-type PTEN or mutant PTEN was transfected into the SMMC-7721 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The expressions of PTEN and serine/threonine protein kinase (Akt) were detected by Western blot analysis. 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo-(-z-y1)- 3,5-di-phenytetrazoliumromide (MTT) absorbance and clonogenic survival assays were used to determine cell viability, proliferation and radiosensitivity. By performing cell-cycle analysis, terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP biotin nick end labelling (TUNEL) assays and gamma-histone H2A (γ-H2AX) formation assays, we were able to explore the mechanism of PTEN enhancement of radiosensitivity.
Results: Restoration of wild-type PTEN induced growth suppression and sensitised the cells to ionising radiation specifically by its lipid phosphatase activity through the PTEN-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt signalling pathway. Restoring PTEN function correlated with G2/M arrest, apoptosis and the retardation of repair of radiation-induced double strand breaks (DSB).
Conclusions: Our study suggests that strategies designed to restore the expression of PTEN may represent promising new therapies for sensitising HCC cells to ionising radiation.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Funds of China (NO.30772530) and the Applied & Basic Research Funds of Yunnan Province, China (NO.2009ZC148M).
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.