Secretory clusterin promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by facilitating cancer stem cell properties via AKT/GSK-3β/β-catenin axis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

To explore the modulatory effects and mechanism of secretory clusterin (sCLU) on cancer stem cell (CSC) properties in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

The effects of sCLU repression or overexpression on chemoresistance, migration, invasion, and tumor growth were detected by MTT, wound healing, transwell assays, and xenograft assay, respectively. The tumor sphere assay was performed to evaluate the self-renewal ability of HCC cells. In addition, the molecular regulation between sCLU and AKT/GSK-3β/β-catenin axis in HCC cells were discovered by western blotting, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and immunofluorescence. The expression status of sCLU and β-catenin in HCC tissues were investigated by immunohistochemistry.

Results

Knockdown or overexpr

SUBMITTER: Zheng W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7023808 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature