WISP1 and Mir-29c-3p are Novel Prognostic Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets for Bladder Cancer
Author(s): Hongyi Z, Ming Z, Leilei Z Zhuoqun X, Zhuo W, Jianfeng S
Aberrant expression of WISP1 is associated with carcinogenesis; however, the expression and prognostic values of WISP1 in bladder cancer remain elusive. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the WISP1 expression in bladder cancer and explore the possible mechanisms and clinical value of WISP1 in bladder carcinogenesis. The in silico analysis based on oncomine and Kaplan-Meier Plotter databases revealed that WISP1 was up-regulated in bladder cancer and associated with poor survival in patients with bladder cancer. Besides, WISP1 expression was identified to be up-regulated both in bladder cancer tissues and cell lines by qRT-PCR and Western blot assays. Using TargetScan database, we identified 13 miRNAs that putatively regulate the expression of WISP1. Of these miRNAs, only miR-29c-3p was found to be significantly negatively correlated with WISP1 in bladder cancer tissues. The correlation of in situ expressions of WISP1 and miR-29c-3p by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and clinical characteristics revealed that WISP1 was significantly associated with tumor size and hsa-miR-23b- 3p expression, and miR-29c-3p was associated with tumor size, M stage, and WISP1 expression. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that TNM stage and WISP1 expression were predictors of unfavorable prognosis, while hsa-miR-29c-3p was a predictor of favorable prognosis in patients with bladder cancer. Collectively, the findings indicated that WISP1 and miR-29c-3p might serve as novel prognostic biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for bladder cancer.