Role of PKCβ in hepatocellular carcinoma cells migration and invasion in vitro: a potential therapeutic target

Considerable interests have recently been focused on mechanism of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis—the most fundamental characteristics of HCC and the ultimate cause of most HCC mortality, so screening more potential early prognostic marker and therapeutic target is urgent. In this study, we screened genome of three HCC cell lines with consistently increased metastatic potentials and sharing same genetic background, through DNA microarray and found consecutively up-regulated expression of PKCβ in these cell lines compared to others PKCs, which was reconfirmed by real time RT-PCR and western blot analysis. Moreover, it was found, after efficient silence of PKCβ by RNAi assay or inhibition of PKCβ activity by a specific inhibitor LY317615, migration and invasion of HCC cells significantly decreased. In addition, depletion of PKCβ protein significantly reversed the enhancement of PMA-stimulated HCC migration and invasion ability in vitro. All the data suggest a key role of PKCβ in HCC motility and PKCβ may be a potential therapeutic target.