Reduced APRIL expression induces cellular senescence via a HSPG-dependent pathway.

APRIL, a member of the TNF superfamily, can induce cell proliferation and is overexpressed in most tumor tissues or cells. Nevertheless, it is still unknown about the effect of decreased levels of APRIL expression on tumor cells. In this study, we analyzed APRIL and HSPG expression in the colon carcinoma cell line, SW480 by Western blot and RT-PCR. And the up-regulation of APRIL and HSPG expression was found in SW480. We also observed that knockdown of APRIL levels in SW480, prominently reversed cell proliferation and partially resulted in senescence phenotypes. Furthermore, cellular senescence due to a decreased level of APRIL expression was associated with engagement of HSPG. Thus, our results suggest that low levels of APRIL play an essential role in cellular senescence via a HSPG-dependent signaling pathway in SW480.