Silencing of Ether à Go-Go 1 by shRNA Inhibits Osteosarcoma Growth and Cell Cycle Progression

Recently, a member of the voltage-dependent potassium channel (Kv) family, the Ether à go-go 1 (Eag1) channel was found to be necessary for cell proliferation, cycle progression and tumorigenesis. However, the therapeutic potential of the Eag1 channel in osteosarcoma remains elusive. In the present study, a recombinant adenovirus harboring shRNA against Eag1 was constructed to silence Eag1 expression in human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells. We observed that Eag1-shRNA inhibited the proliferation and colony formation of MG-63 cells due to the induction of G1 phase arrest. Moreover, in vivo experiments showed that Eag1-shRNA inhibited osteosarcoma growth in a xenograft nude mice model. In addition, selective inhibition of Eag1 significantly decreased the expression levels of cyclin D1 and E. Taken together, our data suggest that the Eag1 channel plays a crucial role in regulating the proliferation and cell cycle of osteosarcoma cells, and represents a new and effective therapeutic target for osteosarcoma.