As the most common malignant tumor of the urinary system worldwide, the bladder tumor has a high mortality rate, which is mainly due to its onset of concealment. Therefore, research into novel diagnostic markers and treatment of bladder cancer is urgently needed. BMP9 (Bone morphogenetic protein 9) is a member of BMP, which belongs to the TGF-β (transforming growth factor-β) superfamily. It has been associated with multiple tumors. We found that BMP9 is highly expressed in bladder cancer cells and it could significantly promote the proliferation and migration of bladder cancer cells. In the study of the mechanism of this effect, we found that BMP9 can increase the expression of lncRNA UCA1 (Urothelial cancer associated 1) through phosphorylated AKT. The promoting effect of BMP9 on bladder cancer cells was rescued after interfering with UCA1 in BMP9 overexpressed bladder cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Our research confirms that BMP9 promotes the proliferation and migration of bladder cancer cells through up-regulated lncRNA UCA1. It also shows that BMP9 is a novel diagnostic marker and a potential therapeutic target in bladder cancer.
Keywords: AKT; BMP9; UCA1; bladder cancer; lncRNA.