FIGURE 2.

Down-regulation of SRC-1 decreases HCC cell proliferation. A, protein expression of SRC-1 was up-regulated in the HCC cell lines (HepG2, SK-Hep-1, Huh-7, MHCC97H, and MHCC97L) compared with the hepatocyte cell line L-O2. L-O2 was cultured in 1640, whereas the other cell lines were cultured in DMEM. β-actin was used as a loading control. This experiment was performed twice with similar results. B, transfection of two SRC-1-specific siRNAs decreased protein levels of SRC-1 in HepG2, Huh-7, and SK-Hep-1 cells. Cells were transfected with siRNAs for 72 h and then harvested for Western blot analysis. This experiment was performed twice with similar results. C, knockdown of SRC-1 decreased proliferation in HepG2, Huh-7, and SK-Hep-1 cells, as measured by an MTT assay. Cells were transfected with siRNAs for 48 h and then seeded into 96-well plates for the MTT assay. This experiment was performed twice with similar results. D, proliferation was reduced in stable SRC-1-knockdown HepG2 cells, as measured by the MTT assay. This experiment was performed twice with similar results. E, proliferation was reduced in stable SRC-1-knockdown HepG2 cells, as measured by direct cell counting. This experiment was performed twice with similar results. F, knockdown of SRC-1 inhibited HCC cell colony formation. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01. This experiment was performed twice with similar results. Error bars, S.E.