YAP Triggers Bladder Cancer Proliferation by Affecting the MAPK Pathway

BACKGROUND: The transcriptional regulator YAP is frequently overexpressed in human cancers, such as breast and pancreatic cancers, plays an important role in tumorigenesis and can regulate many factors affecting cancer progression. These observations encouraged us to investigate the effect of YAP expression on bladder cancer. METHODS: The changes in multiple cellular functions associated with tumor progression including cell proliferation, cell migration, cell cycle, and cell apoptosis were assessed after YAP knockdown/overexpression in bladder cancer cell lines. Additionally, Western blot was developed to verify the change of proteins caused by YAP knockdown/overexpression. RESULTS: YAP had relatively higher expression in bladder cancer tissues than in normal tissues. The proliferation and migration of bladder cancer cells were inhibited by YAP knockdown but were promoted by its overexpression. This promoting effect was accompanied by the increased activity of MAPK/ERK pathway. CONCLUSION: Our data established that YAP is an oncogene involved in bladder cancer and thus can be a potential target for treatment.