Role of PRMT5 in bladder cancer: a comprehensive study

BACKGROUND: Although previous studies have reported the abnormal expression of the protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) in a variety of cancers, the function and potential mechanism of PRMT5 in bladder cancer (BCa) remain unclear. Therefore, we attempt to illuminate the biological and clinicopathological significance of PRMT5 expression in BCa in this work. METHODS: Analysis of the database from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis were performed to assess the clinicopathological significance of PRMT5 in BCa. A PRMT5 knockdown model was constructed by the lentivirus-mediated shRNA infection of the SW780 cells to evaluate the biological function of PRMT5 in BCa cells using in vitro experiments. RESULTS: Based on results from data gathered from TCGA database and RT-qPCR, PRMT5 was found to be overexpressed in BCa tissues and cells. This result shows the potential value in the prognosis and treatment of BCa. PRMT5 expression was also negatively associated with overall survival (OS) (P=0.006, log-rank test =7.537) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) (P=0.0179, log-rank test =5.606) in TCGA data. Meanwhile, in vitro experiments revealed a positive effect of PRMT5 on cell proliferation and migration, supporting PRMT5 as an essential oncogene. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the results suggest that PRMT5 could be used as a common molecular biomarker for the prognosis and treatment of BCa.