Unveiling the role of RAC3 in the growth and invasion of cisplatin-resistant bladder cancer cells.

ABSTRACT

Bladder cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide, and its morbidity and mortality rates have been increasing over the years. However, how RAC family small GTPase 3 (RAC3) affects the proliferation, migration and invasion of cisplatin-resistant bladder cancer cells remains unclear. Bioinformatics techniques were used to investigate the expression of RAC3 in bladder cancer tissues. Influences of RAC3 in the grade, stage, distant metastasis, and survival rate of bladder cancer were also examined. Analysis of the relationship between RAC3 expression and the immune microenvironment (TIME), genomic mutations, and stemness index. In normal bladder cancer cells (T24, 5637, and BIU-87) and cisplatin-resistant bladder cancer cells (BIU-87-DDP), the expression of RAC3 was detected separately with Western blotting. Plasmid transfection was used to overexpress or silence the expression of RAC3 in bladder cancer cells resistant to cisplatin (BIU-87-DDP). By adding activators and inhibitors, the activities of the JNK/MAPK signalling pathway were altered. Cell viability, invasion, and its level of apoptosis were measured in vitro using CCK-8, transwell, and flow cytometry. The bioinformatics analyses found RAC3 levels were elevated in bladder cancer tissues and were associated with a poor prognosis in bladder cancer. RAC3 in BIU-87-DDP cells expressed a higher level than normal bladder cancer cells. RAC3 overexpression promoted BIU-87-DDP proliferation. The growth of BIU-87-DDP cells slowed after the knockdown of RAC3, and RAC3 may have had an impact on the activation of the JNK/MAPK pathway.