Analysis of the function of periostin isoform 3 in bladder cancer development and progression

Abstract

Bladder cancer takes up the eighth place among the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide, as in 2020, there were 573 278 incident cases, with 212 536 deaths documented. Bladder cancer primarily affects individuals over 60 and it is more prevalent in men than women. Despite a variety of existing treatments, high recurrence rate and progression to severe forms prove the need for novel solutions. The tumor microenvironment, comprising non-tumor cells and extracellular matrix proteins (ECM), plays a crucial role in cancer development. Periostin, an ECM protein known for its function in cell adhesion and structural maintenance, was shown to be overexpressed in cancer cells. It was associated with tumor formation in breast, lung and colon cancers. This study focused on expression of its isoform 3, and analyzed its function in proliferation of urinary bladder cancer cells. Growth in the number of MB49 2C9 cells, where the periostin gene was knocked out, was compared with MB49 2C9 cells expressing transcript variant 3. Both groups demonstrated time-dependent increase in cell count and fold change over a 72-hour period. No statistically significant difference was found between proliferation of two groups, implying that isoform 3 did not have proliferative effect in given experimental conditions.