Open AccessKnockdown of otubain 2 inhibits liver cancer cell growth by suppressing NF‐κB signaling
Author(s) -
Gu ZhenLin,
Huang Jing,
Zhen LinLin
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the kaohsiung journal of medical sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.439
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 2410-8650
pISSN - 1607-551X
DOI - 10.1002/kjm2.12187
Subject(s) - gene knockdown , liver cancer , medicine , cancer research , carcinogenesis , cancer , cell growth , cancer cell , downregulation and upregulation , cell culture , biology , biochemistry , gene , genetics
The deubiquitinase otubain 2 (OTUB2) has been reported to play significant roles in the tumorigenesis of several cancers, but the role of OTUB2 in liver cancer is not investigated yet. In the present study, OTUB2 was found significantly upregulated in liver cancer tumor tissues and cell lines, and elevated OTUB2 indicated as a negative index for the overall survival of liver cancer patients. At the cellular level, knockdown of OTUB2 markedly inhibited liver cancer cell growth. Our further investigations revealed that knockdown of OTUB2 significantly suppressed NF‐κB‐driving luciferase activity, and markedly inhibited the phosphorylation of NF‐κB p65 in liver cancer cells, which indicated that OTUB2 mediated liver cancer cell growth by regulating NF‐κB signaling. Additionally, we found that liver cancer cell lines harboring higher OTUB2 expression were more sensitive to NF‐κB inhibitors, and overexpression of OTUB2 could significantly reduce the antitumor effects of NF‐κB inhibitors in liver cancer cells. This study indicated that OTUB2 could be a promising target for the treatment of liver cancer in the future.