Moodley, K.Weiss, S.F.T.2016-10-242016-10-242013-03-05Moodley, K. and Weiss, S.F.T. 2013. Downregulation of the Non-Integrin Laminin Receptor Reduces Cellular Viability by Inducing Apoptosis in Lung and Cervical Cancer Cells. PLoS ONE 8(3):e57409.1932-6203http://hdl.handle.net/10539/21254The non-integrin laminin receptor, here designated the 37-kDa/67-kDa laminin receptor (LRP/LR), is involved in many physiologically relevant processes, as well as numerous pathological conditions. The overexpression of LRP/LR on various cancerous cell lines plays critical roles in tumour metastasis and angiogenesis. This study investigated whether LRP/LR is implicated in the maintenance of cellular viability in lung and cervical cancer cell lines. Here we show a significant reduction in cellular viability in the aforementioned cell lines as a result of the siRNA-mediated downregulation of LRP. This reduction in cellular viability is due to increased apoptotic processes, reflected by the loss of nuclear integrity and the significant increase in the activity of caspase-3. These results indicate that LRP/LR is involved in the maintenance of cellular viability in tumorigenic lung and cervix uteri cells through the blockage of apoptosis. Knockdown of LRP/LR by siRNA might represent an alternative therapeutic strategy for the treatment of lung and cervical cancer.en© 2013 Moodley, Weiss. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.37 kDa laminin receptor precursor67 kDa laminin receptorcaspase 3laminin receptorsmall interfering RNAunclassified drugapoptosiscancer cellcell nucleuscell surfaceCell LineTumorCell SurvivalDown-RegulationEnzyme ActivationFemaleGene Expression RegulationNeoplasticHeLa CellsHumansLung NeoplasmsReceptorsLamininRNAUterine Cervical NeoplasmsArticle