Expression of Livin and the inhibition of tumor progression by Livin silencing in laryngohypopharyngeal cancer.

AIM To evaluate the expression of Livin in human laryngohypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LHSCC) and investigate whether Livin-knockdown using small interfering-RNA (siRNA) affects tumor aggressiveness in LHSCC cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS Immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, cell invasion assay, cell migration assay, and cell apoptosis assays were performed to assess the impact of Livin on cancer cell behavior in human LHSCC. RESULTS High immunoreactivity of Livin was observed in 22 (36.7%) of the 60 LHSCC tissues relative to adjacent normal mucosa. In the positive-Livin expression group, distant metastasis tended to occur frequently, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.06). Livin-knockdown by siRNA induced cell apoptosis through activation of caspase 3, caspase 7, and poly ADP ribose polymerase in LHSCC cells. Livin-knockdown also resulted in significantly reduced cell invasion and migration in LHSCC cells. CONCLUSION siRNA-mediated silencing of Livin may be associated with the reversal of invasive capacity in LHSCC.