EHMT2 (euchromatic histone lysine methyltransferase 2), a histone methyltransferase, has been shown to be involved in multiple human cancers. In this study, we determined mRNA and protein expression of EHMT2 in cervical cancer cells and normal cervical epithelial cells. EHMT2 was inhibited with short hairpin RNA (shEHMT2) in cervical cancer cells. Cell viability, colony proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion, and invasion assays and Western blot were performed to assess the function of EHMT2. As a result, EHMT2 was upregulated in human cervical cancer cells compared to normal cervical epithelial cells. Suppression of EHMT2 expression impairs cell proliferation and induces apoptosis. Furthermore, EHMT2 silencing inhibited cell adhesion and invasion. Finally, knockdown of EHMT2 resulted in a reduction of the expression of the tumorigenic proteins Bcl-2, Mcl-1, and Survivin and in an increase in the expression of the anti-malignant protein E-cadherin. In conclusion, our data suggest that EHMT2 plays a key role in cell proliferation and metastatic capacity in cervical cancer cells and could serve as a potential therapeutic target.

中文翻译：

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抑制常染色质组蛋白赖氨酸甲基转移酶 2 (EHMT2) 抑制宫颈癌细胞的增殖和侵袭

EHMT2（常染色质组蛋白赖氨酸甲基转移酶 2）是一种组蛋白甲基转移酶，已被证明与多种人类癌症有关。在本研究中，我们测定了宫颈癌细胞和正常宫颈上皮细胞中 EHMT2 的 mRNA 和蛋白表达。EHMT2 在宫颈癌细胞中被短发夹 RNA (shEHMT2) 抑制。进行细胞活力、集落增殖、凋亡、粘附和侵袭测定以及蛋白质印迹以评估 EHMT2 的功能。结果，与正常宫颈上皮细胞相比，人宫颈癌细胞中的 EHMT2 上调。抑制 EHMT2 表达会损害细胞增殖并诱导细胞凋亡。此外，EHMT2 沉默抑制细胞粘附和侵袭。最后，EHMT2 的敲低导致致瘤蛋白 Bcl-2 的表达减少，Mcl-1 和 Survivin 以及抗恶性蛋白 E-钙粘蛋白的表达增加。总之，我们的数据表明 EHMT2 在宫颈癌细胞的细胞增殖和转移能力中起关键作用，可以作为潜在的治疗靶点。