T‐LAK cell‐originated protein kinase is essential for the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC‐7721 cells

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and typically has poor prognosis. Like most cancers, altered gene expression was always associated with the induction and maintenance of HCC. Here, we reported that the expression level of T‐LAK cell‐originated protein kinase (TOPK) is significantly up‐regulated in human HCC samples and cell lines. The suppression of TOPK by short hairpin RNA in HCC cell line SMMC‐7721 caused cell cycle arrest and reduced cell growth and colony formation ability. Moreover, the tumor formation ability of the TOPK‐suppression cells was significantly impaired compared with the control cells in nude mice. In addition, the knockdown expression of TOPK reduced the AKT phosphorylation. Taken together, we unveiled a novel role of TOPK which acts as an important positive regulator in human HCC cell proliferation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.