Depression of testes-specific protease 50 (TSP50) inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in laryngocarcinoma

Testes-specific protease 50 (TSP50) is a potential cancer-associated gene that may be involved in human laryngocarcinoma. The present study aimed to investigate suppressive effects on the HEp2 human laryngocarcinoma cell line by transfection with TSP50-specific short hairpin RNA (shRNA). Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression levels of TSP50. MTT assay was used to evaluate cell proliferation. Wound healing was used in cell migration and invasion assays to evaluate the cell exercise capacity. Nuclear staining assay was used to evaluate cell apoptosis after knockdown of TSP50. Expression levels of TSP50 protein in the shRNA group were downregulated successfully by transfection, and the knockdown of endogenous TSP50 in HEp2 cells greatly inhibited nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) activity. MTT results showed that the cell proliferation in the shRNA group was significantly more depressed than that in the blank (P < 0.05) and negative control groups (P < 0.05). Additionally, a decreased number of migrated cells in the shRNA group was observed (P < 0.05) using a cell migration and invasion assay. Moreover, knockdown of endogenous TSP50 expression can induce apoptosis in HEp2 Cells. These data indicated that knockdown of TSP50 may cause inhibition of proliferation, migration, and invasion of HEp2 cells. This study provides a new perspective in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of laryngocarcinoma and offers a potential therapeutic target for laryngocarcinoma.