Tripartite motif-containing 24 (TRIM24), also known as transcription intermediary factor 1-alpha (TIF1α), is a chromatin-associated protein which as been has been implicated in carcinogenesis. However, its expression profile and biological roles in human bladder carcinoma has not been investigated. In this study, we examined its expression in 95 bladder cancer specimens. We found that TRIM24 expression was upregulated in 39 of 95 (41.1 %) specimens compared with normal control. TRIM24 overexpression was associated with local invasion and advanced grade of bladder cancer. In addition, we transfected TRIM24 plasmid into BIU-87 cell line and TRIM24 siRNA into 5637 cell line. Colony formation, CCK-8, and transwell assay were used to assess its biological roles in bladder cancer cells. The result showed that TRIM24 could facilitate cancer cell growth and invading ability. Western blot analysis demonstrated that TRIM24 upregulated cyclin D1, cyclin E, p-IκBα, and p-AKT expression, suggesting TRIM24 activates NF-κB and AKT pathways. In addition, NF-κB inhibitor reversed the effect of TRIM24 on cyclin D1. In conclusion, TRIM24 is overexpressed in human bladder cancer and facilitates bladder cancer growth and invasion, possibly through NF-κB and AKT signaling pathways.
Keywords: AKT; Bladder cancer; NF-κB; Proliferation; TRIM24.