FOXN2 suppresses the proliferation and invasion of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the roles of FOXN2 (Fork head Box N2) in mediating the proliferation and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells.

Patients and methods: Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to determine expression of FOXN2 in HCC tissues and cells. Transfection of plasmid containing FOXN2 was used to exogenously overexpress FOXN2 in vitro. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and transwell assay were applied to detect the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells, respectively.

Results: FOXN2 expression decreased significantly in both HCC tissues and cells (p<0.05). Upregulation of FOXN2 significantly inhibited the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells (p<0.05).

Conclusions: FOXN2 acts as a regulator in the progression of HCC. Our findings suggest that FOXN2 may be a novel therapeutic monitoring and prognosis biomarker in HCC.