Objective:To detect the expression and explored the role of ROCK1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods:The expression of ROCK1 mRNA in HCC samples and cell lines was detected by real-time PCR,while the expression of ROCK1 protein in HCC tissues and adjacent non-cancer tissues was assessed by immunohistochemistry. In addition,invasion of HCC cells was observed after overexpressing or silencing ROCK1. Results:In the total of 60 paired HCC specimens,compared with the adjacent non-cancer tissues,the expression of ROCK1 mRNA was up-regulated in 42 cases(P < 0.05),and the expression of ROCK1 protein in HCC tissues was higher than that in adjacent non-cancer tissues. Overexpression of ROCK1 enhanced HCC-derived HepG2 cellular invasion in vitro. In contrast,ROCK1 knockdown via RNAi markedly suppressed these phenotypes in SMMC-7721. Conclusion:This study indicates ROCK1 is frequently overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma,and contributes to tumor cell invasion. ROCK1 may be a novel therapeutic target for prevention and treatment of invasion in HCC.