PIM1 knockdown inhibits cell proliferation and invasion of mesothelioma cells.

Malignant mesothelioma is a major asbestos-related cancer with prolonged time lapse from the first exposure of asbestos to the development of mesothelioma. Most of mesothelioma patients show very poor prognosis, thus, an urgent improvement of its treatment is required by development of novel therapeutic strategies. RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool in post-genomic research and cancer therapy through inhibition of gene expression. In the present study, we analyzed the function of PIM1 on mesothelioma cell lines with its knockdown by siRNA transfection. Here, we report that the downregulation of PIM1 led to suppression of cell proliferation by cell cycle arrest at G1 phase and suppression of cell invasion and migration. Considering the mesothelioma as rapidly growing invasive cancer, downregulation of PIM1 may have a potential role for therapeutic management of malignant mesothelioma.