Progression

Aims: It has been shown that nerve growth factor-b (NGF-b) promoted the initiation and progression of many tumors, and we have previously demonstrated that the expression of NGF-b was associated with tumor stage, nerve infiltration and lymph node metastasis in human hilar cholangiocarcinoma. However, whether NGF-b promotes tumor progression in human cholangiocarcinoma requires further investigation. Therefore, we aimed to determine the effects of NGF-b on the progression of human cholangiocarcinoma. Methods: Human cholangiocarcinoma QBC939 stable cell lines with over-expressed or silenced NGF-b genes were generated with pEGFP-N1-NGF-b and pGPU6/GFP/Neo-NGF-b-shRNA recombinant plasmids. Cell proliferation assay, colony formation assay, cell cycle analysis, apoptosis assay and tumorigenicity assay were performed to evaluate the role of NGF-b in the progression of human cholangiocarcinoma. In addition, human lymphatic endothelial cells were co-cultured with QBC939 culture supernatants, and the cell proliferation and migration abilities of the lymphatic endothelial cells were evaluated. Results: Forced expression of NGF-b in QBC939 cell lines promoted proliferation, colony formation and tumorigenicity in these cells and inhibited the apoptosis. However, down-regulation of NGF-b inhibited proliferation, colony formation and tumorigenicity, and increased the apoptotic rate of QBC939 cells. In addition, the NGF-b gain-of-function induced a hig