Inhibition of the growth suppressor gene Necdin results in increased proliferation of primary murine hepatocytes

With microarrays we identified a subset of 44 genes, which were up-regulated in the early mouse fetal vs. adult liver. One of the genes, Necdin, which is described as a cell growth suppressor in postmitotic neurons, was analysed. To study the physiological regulation of Necdin during adult liver regeneration we performed 2/3 hepatectomy and analysed expression at various time points (0–48h). Necdin expression relative to GAPDH peaked at 4 hours and decreased to minimum levels at 24 hour. Subsequently, Necdin mRNA was silenced in cultured primary murine hepatocytes by transfecting a siRNA. Efficacy of silencing 2…