Abstract: Stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) is a principal regulator of tumor invasion and metastasis. SDF-1 had been considered to mediate biological process through its unique receptor CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) for many years.Recent studies reported that SDF-1 was also a ligand of a novel chemokine receptor-CXC chemokine receptor 7(CXCR7). It was confirmed that CXCR7 plays an important role in invasion and metastasis of several types of tumor induced by SDF-1.However, its role in cervical cancer is still unclear. In the present study, the expressions of CXCR4 and CXCR7 on HeLa cells were detected by Western blotting and the effects of CXCR4 and CXCR7 on cell behaviors were tested by blocking with their antagonists, respectively. Cell proliferation, cell invasion and cell adhesion were evaluated by MTT, Transwell assay, adhesion assay, respectively. Results reveal that both CXCR4 and CXCR7 are expressed on HeLa cells. The proliferation, invasion and adhesion of HeLa cells induced by SDF-1 are inhibited by CXCR4 blockage or CXCR7 blockage. These results suggest that CXCR7 can mediate proliferation, invasion and adhesion of HeLa cells induced by SDF-1, which indicates that CXCR7 is a potential target for cervical cancer therapy.

Key words: HeLa cells, chemokine receptor 7, cell proliferation, cell adhesion, cell invasion