Short interfering RNA directed against the E2F-1 gene suppressing gastric cancer progression in vitro.

Gastric cancer is the third most common cancer in China. The sustained overexpression of E2F-1 is a characteristic feature of gastric cancer. RNA interference (RNAi), which has been proven to be a powerful tool for suppressing gene expression, may provide a promising way forward in gastric cancer therapy. In this study, we constructed the recombinant Psilencer 4.1- E2F-1 siRNA plasmids and transfected them into gastric cancer MGC-803 cells in vitro. Our data demonstrated that E2F-1 siRNA led to inhibition of endogenous E2F-1 mRNA and protein expression as determined by real-time quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting. Furthermore, simultaneous silencing of E2F-1 resulted in a reduction of tumor cell proliferation activity and a higher percentage of apoptotic cells. The inhibition of migration and invasion potential of tumor cells was investigated in vitro. In summary, siRNA targeting of E2F-1 can effectively inhibit gastric cancer progression and may be used as a potent therapy.