Correlation between homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 and apoptosis in cervical cancer

Abstract

Homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) is a serine/threonine nuclear kinase that is involved in apoptosis and cell growth, and is also thought to play a role in the process of tumorigenesis. The purpose of this study was to identify the role of HIPK2 in cervical cancer. HIPK2 expression was examined in normal and cervical cancer tissues at the mRNA and protein levels by quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting. To investigate the mechanism of action of HIPK2 in cervical cancer, RNA interference was used to analyze the effect of HIPK2 on apoptosis and cell growth in cervical cell lines. The results showed that HIPK2 expression was significantly higher in the cervical cancer tissues compared to the normal cervical tissues, both at the mRNA and protein level. Moreover, inhibition of HIPK2 promoted cell growth and decreased the rate of cell apoptosis in cervical cell lines. Taken together, these results indicate that HIPK2 expression is higher in cervical cancer tissues and has a positive correlation with cervical cancer. HIPK2 may be important in the development of cervical cancer.