Synemin down-regulation in human hepatocellular carcinoma does not destabilize cytoskeletons in vivo

► Synemin and plectin are cross-linking proteins which mediate the interaction between intermediate filament and other cytoskeletal networks. ► The expression of synemin was down-regulated in human hepatocellular carcinoma tissues. ► Synemin knock-down did not influence the cytoskeleton expression and organization of human Chang liver cells. ► The function of synemin in liver cells would then be more like a cytoskeletal component, not a cross-linking protein.