Down-regulation of Polo-like kinase 4 (PLK4) induces G1 arrest via activation of the p38/p53/p21 signalling pathway in bladder

We demonstrate that Polo-like kinase 4(PLK4) is overexpressed in human bladder cancer (BC) cell lines and tissues, and its overexpression correlates with poor prognosis. PLK4 inhibition suppresses BC cell growth and induces G1 phase arrest via activating p38/p53/p21 pathway in vitro and in vivo. The data suggest that PLK4 might serve as a novel molecular target for BC treatment. Examination of mRNA profiles of shNC and shPLK4 in bladder cancer cells (5637 and MGHU3)