Silencing LncRNA SCAMP1 inhibits cell proliferation, induces G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Long noncoding RNA secretory carrier membrane protein 1 (SCAMP1) has been recently reported to be an oncogene in glioma and ovarian cancer. However, little is known about the clinical significance and functional role of SCAMP1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: : The expression of SCAMP1 was determined in tissue samples and cell lines using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). The clinical significance of SCAMP1 in HCC was evaluated using chi-squared test, Kaplan-Meier survival, as well as univariate and multivariate analysis. Cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were evaluated using CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, Flow cytometry analysis. Related protein expression levels were measured by western blot analysis. Results: : We found SCAMP1 expression levels were remarkably up-regulated in HCC tissues compared to that in matched adjacent tissues. Increased SCAMP1 expression was significantly correlated with large tumor size, advanced TNM stage and poor survival prognosis in HCC. Knockdown of SCAMP1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, induced G0/G1 phase arrest and apoptosis in HepG2 and SNU-182 cells. More importantly, knockdown of SCAMP1 downregulated the protein levels of CDK4, Cyclin D1 and Bcl-2, while upregulated the protein levels of p21, p53 and Bax. Conclusions: : In summary, our study clarified a positive correlation of the SCAMP1 levels with the HCC cell proliferation.