Abstract: Objective  Small interference RNA (siRNA) was used to silence Pokemon gene in human non-Hodgkins lymphoma Raji cells, then to observe the change of proliferation of Raji cells and explore its possible molecular mechanisms. Methods  Pokemon-targeted siRNA was constructed with lentivirus vector and transfected to Raji cells. RT-PCR and Western blotting were adopted to confirm the silence effect of Pokemon gene in Raji cells, which were then used to determine the mRNA and protein expressions of bcl-6 and mutant p53. Flow cytometry was used to detect the cell apoptosis of each group. Results  Pokemon-siRNA constructed with lentivirus vector could efficiently silence the expression of Pokemon gene in Raji cell (P<0.05). After that, the mRNA and protein expressions of bcl-6 and mutant p53 were significantly decreased (P<0.05) and the cell apoptosis rate was markedly elevated compared with the controls. Conclusion  The siRNA Pokemon gene silencing promotes human non-Hodgkins lymphoma Raji cells apoptosis by lowering the expressions of bcl-6 and mutant p53 gene and protein and inhibiting the proliferation. Pokemon gene is expected to become a new target for non-Hodgkins lymphoma treatment.

Key words: bcl-6, Cell apoptosis, NHL, p53, Pokemon