Knockdown of DUXAP10 inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis in bladder cancer cells via PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway

DUXAP10 is a member of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and has been reported to be upregulated in bladder cancer (BC) tissues. However, the biological functions of DUXAP10 in BC are largely unknown. The present study detected the expression of DUXAP10 in human normal bladder cell SV‑HUC‑1 and BC cell lines. Subsequently, cell proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis were analyzed by knockdown of the DUXAP10 expression. Results suggested that the expression level of DUXAP10 was significantly enhanced in cancer cells. After knockdown of DUXAP10, cell proliferation was inhibited, cell cycle was arrested at G0/G1 phase, and apoptosis was increased in T24 and 5637 cells. Western blot analysis detected that knockdown of DUXAP10 decreased the expression of Bcl-xL, cyclin D and CDK4. This increased the expression of Bad, cleaved caspase‑3, cleaved caspase-9, and p27. Further studies indicated that knockdown of DUXAP10 inhibited PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Combining these results, our study suggests that DUXAP10 plays an important role in BC and DUXAP10 inhibition is a potential therapeutic target for BC.