Treg increases HepG2 cell growth by RANK-RANKL pathway

Methods Treg cells were isolated by immunomagnetic beads from peripheral blood of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The proliferation of HepG2 cells was determined by MTT assay. Flow cytometry was employed to detect the cell cycle distribution and the expression of RANK, RANKL on cells. The real time quantitative PCR was performed to detect the gene expression and Western blot was performed to test the level of protein. The cytokines in the cultured supernatant were tested with protein chip.