RNAi-Mediated Silencing of EIF3D Alleviates Proliferation and Migration of Glioma U251 and U87MG Cells.

As the most common primary malignant brain tumors, gliomas cause more years of life lost than do any other tumors. Recently, abnormalities of the eukaryotic initiation factors (EIFs) have been reported in gliomas. Yet the role of EIF3D, which encodes a subunit of EIF3 multiprotein complex, remains poorly understood. In this study, we found EIF3D expression was positively correlated with WHO grades of gliomas. Furthermore, we employ lentivirus-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) to examine the physiological role of EIF3D in glioma cells. Decreased EIF3D expression in U251 and U87MG glioma cells caused a delay in cell growth and a disruption in colony formation. In addition, EIF3D knockdown induced G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Cells with suppressed expression of EIF3D had a lower capacity to migrate in the transwell assay. These results suggest that EIF3D plays an important role in glioma development and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for human glioma.