Some researchs have demonstrated that the loss of delta Np63 is associated with aggressive phenotypes and poor prognosis. However, other research indicates that delta Np63 is considered to have oncogenic properties. Delta Np63 overexpression is often observed in association with the oncogenic growth of squamous cell carcinomas and bladder cancer. In this study, we investigated the oncogenic role of delta Np63 in regulating cell adhesion in transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (TCCB). The cells were stably transfected with the delta Np63 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) plasmid. Immunocytochemistry was performed to determine the knockdown efficiency. Tumour cells were studied for their ability to adhere to vascular endothelial cells. Confocal microscopy was used to analyse the changes in cytoskeletal F-actin. F-actin expression was measured by flow cytometry. Cell invasion ability was assessed using transwell chambers. The delta Np63-silenced tumour cells were shown to adhere more tightly than controls to vascular endothelial cells (P<0.05). The content of F-actin in the delta Np63-silenced cells was enhanced (P<0.05). The Matrigel invasion assays showed that human 5637 bladder cancer cells had a lower degree of motility when transfected with pdelta Np63-shRNA (P<0.05). In conclusion, silencing of the delta Np63 expression can enhance the adhesiveness of 5637 cells by inducing F-actin cytoskeleton production, and it will possibly inhibit the TCCB invasion and metastasis.

Keywords: bladder transitional cell carcinoma; cell adhesion; delta Np63

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