Ceramide synthase-4 orchestrates the cell proliferation and tumor growth of liver cancer in vitro and in vivo through the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway

Liver cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-associated mortalities worldwide, partly due to the absence of effective therapeutic targets and diagnostic biomarkers. Therefore, novel molecular targets are critical to develop new therapeutic approaches for liver cancer. In the present study, ceramide synthase-4 (CERS4) was investigated as a novel molecular target for liver cancer. High expression of CERS4 in liver cancer tissues was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. Subsequently, CERS4 was silenced by lentivirus-mediated RNA interfere, and the proliferation rates of liver cancer cells were significantly suppressed (P<0.001). In addition, the weight and volume of the tumors were reduced subsequent to silencing of CERS4 in liver cancer cells, revealed by an in vivo study using Balb/c nude mice. In addition, the nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling pathway was affected following knockdown of CERS4 in liver cancer cells. The present results proposed that CERS4 is an important regulator of liver cancer cell proliferation and indicated that CERS4 may be a potential anticancer therapeutic target and a promising diagnostic biomarker for human liver cancer.