Lentivirus-mediated knockdown of M-phase phosphoprotein 8 inhibits proliferation of colon cancer cells.

M-phase phosphoprotein 8 (MPP8) has been reported to be overexpressed in various human carcinoma cells and was associated with tumor malignant characters. However, its functional role in colon cancer (CRC) is still unclear. In the present study, lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNAs were designed to silence the MPP8 gene in CRC cells including RKO and SW1116 cells. The fluorescence microscopy was used to determine the knockdown efficiency of MPP8 by observing lentivirus-mediated green fluorescent protein expression. MPP8 expression in infected RKO and SW1116 was evaluated by real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay and colony formation. Flow cytometry was applied to measure cell cycle and apoptosis. Transwell assay was used to determine the effect of MMP8 silencing on cell migration. Our results demonstrated that loss of MPP8 inhibited cell proliferation and migration and promoted cell apoptosis. These results indicate that MPP8 plays an important role in the proliferation and metastasis of CRC cells and suggest that silencing of MPP8 may be an effective therapeutic approach for the treatment of CRC.