CRP‑1 promotes the malignant behavior of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via activating epithelial‑mesenchymal transition and Wnt/β‑catenin signaling

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. It has been reported that cysteine rich protein 1 (CRP‑1) is dysregulated in several types of human cancer; however, its role in HCC is poorly understood. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the role of CRP‑1 in HCC. Western blotting and reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR results showed that CRP‑1 was upregulated in HCC cell lines. Furthermore, for in vitro experiments, CRP‑1 was knocked down and overexpressed in the HCC cell lines Hep 3B2.1‑7 and BEL‑7405, respectively. c‑Myc and proliferating cell nuclear antigen upregulation, and cleaved caspase 3 and poly(ADP‑ribose) polymerase downregulation suggested that CRP‑1 silencing could inhibit the proliferation and colony‑forming ability of HCC cells, and induce apoptosis. In addition, CRP‑1 overexpression promoted the malignant behavior of HCC cells and induced epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT), as verified by E‑cadherin downregulation, and N‑cadherin and vimentin upregulation. Additionally, CRP‑1 overexpression promoted the nuclear translocation of β‑catenin, and activated the expression of cyclin D1 and matrix metalloproteinase‑7. Furthermore, inhibition of Wnt/β‑catenin signaling, following cell treatment with XAV‑939, an inhibitor of the Wnt/β‑catenin signaling pathway, abrogated the effects of CRP‑1 on enhancing the proliferation and migration of HCC cells. These findings indicated that the regulatory effect of CRP‑1 on HCC cells could be mediated by the Wnt/β‑catenin signaling pathway. Overall, CRP‑1 could promote the proliferation and migration of HCC cell lines, partially via promoting EMT and activating the Wnt/β‑catenin signaling pathway.