CIZ1 knockdown suppresses the proliferation of bladder cancer cells by inducing apoptosis.

Bladder cancer (BC) is the ninth most frequent malignancy and the thirteenth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. CDKN1A-interacting zinc finger protein 1 (CIZ1) is involved in the development of various cancers, while its role in BC remains unclear. In this study, we found that CIZ1 was up-regulated in BC tissues and cells. Knockdown of CIZ1 suppressed the proliferation and growth of T24 and 5637 cells. Apoptosis and caspase 3/7 activity were enhanced after CIZ1 silencing in both cells. At the molecular level, PCNA, Ki67, HIF-1α, survivin, CCND1 and CCNB1 were down-regulated, and caspase-3, p53, p21, caspase-9 were up-regulated by CIZ1 knockdown. This suggested that silencing of CIZ1 suppressed BC cell proliferation through inducing apoptosis and reducing cell cycle progression. Our study suggests that targeting CIZ1 maybe a potential therapeutic strategy for BC.