Fig. 3: USP1 depletion inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma progression in vivo and in vitro.

A, B RT‒PCR was performed to determine USP1 mRNA levels in HLF and Hep3B cells following USP1 siRNA treatment. C, D HLF and Hep3B cells transfected with siControl or siUSP1 were tested for viability using the CCK-8 assay at the indicated time points. E–H HLF and Hep3B cells were tested for their migration ability using Transwell assays. F and H show the quantitative analysis of the colony formation assay results. I–L Colony formation (left panel) of HLF and Hep3B cells transfected with scrambled siRNA or one of two independent USP1 siRNAs. J and L show the quantitative analysis of the colony formation assay results. M–P The percentage of apoptotic cells was determined by FACS analysis after HLF and Hep3B cells were treated with USP1 siRNA. PI and Annexin V staining were performed on the cells. Q A representative image of a tumor derived from a nude mouse injected with stably transfected shControl or shUSP1 HLF cells is shown. R, S The tumor volume (R) and weight (S) in nude mice subcutaneously inoculated with stably transfected shControl or shUSP1 HLF cells. Three independent experiments were conducted to obtain the results shown in Panels A–P. All the data are presented as the means ± SDs. **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 (Student’s t test).