Stable knockdown of MYCN by lentivirus-based RNAi inhibits human neuroblastoma cells growth in vitro and in vivo

► A lentivirus vector-based RNAi approach was used to knockdown MYCN in neuroblastoma cell lines. ► The stable suppression of MYCN induced differentiation and apoptosis. ► Downregulation of MYCN significantly reduced colony formation in vitro and tumor growth in nude mice. ► P27 upregulation and Bcl-2 and MDM2 downregulation as well as caspase-3 activation were involved in the processes.