Effect of Glutamine on Heat Shock Protein 70 Expression in Hepatoma Cell

Objective To evaluate the influence of glutamine (Gln) on heat shock protein 70(HSP70) expression in hepatoma cell line SMMC-7721 in vitro, and to investigate its relationship with cell proliferation. Methods After SMMC-7721 cells were cultured with 0,0.5,1.0,2.0,4.0,8.0,and 16.0 mmol/L Gln for 24 hours respectively, cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT method, and HSP70 mRNA and protein expressions were examined using RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. Results Gln promoted SMMC-7721 cell proliferation significantly. The expressions of HSP70 mRNA and protein in SMMC-7721 cells were significantly elevated by Gln treatment (P0.05). Both the proliferation and the HSP70 expression reached the peak at a Gln concentration of 2.0 mml/L. Conclusion The induction of HSP70 expression possibly is one of the mechanisms of Gln contributing to hepatoma cell growth.