Downregulation of heparanase by RNA interference inhibits invasion and tumorigenesis of hepatocellular cancer cells in vitro and in vivo

Heparanase is an endoglycosidase that degrades heparan sulfate, the main polysaccharide constituent of the extracellular matrix and basement membrane. The expression of heparanase is associated with invasion, as well as the angiogenic and metastatic potential of diverse malignant tumors. We used RNA interference strategies to evaluate the role of human heparanase in a liver cancer cell line and to explore the therapeutic potential of its specific targeting. Using an online siRNA tool, we designed three small interfering RNA sequences to target the heparanase coding region and cloned them into the pGenesil-I vector. The siRNA vectors were transfected into HepG2 liver cancer cells. Heparanase expression was measured by real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting. Cell proliferation was detected by MTT staining and plate colony formation. Cell cycle analysis was performed by flow cytometry. In vitro invasion was measured by Matrigel invasion assay. We also analyzed tumorigenicity in heparanase-suppressed HepG2 cells in nude mice. We found that siRNA-1 (1214-1232) and siRNA-3 (611-629) targeting heparanase significantly downregulated the expression of heparanase in HepG2 liver cancer cells. Compared with its controls, siRNA-1 or siRNA-3 vectors efficiently inhibited the proliferation and invasion of HepG2 liver cancer cells in vitro and tumorigenesis in vivo. These results suggest that heparanase-specific RNA interference has potential value as a novel therapeutic agent for human liver cancer.