We retrospectively analyzed amplification of STK15 gene in normal urothelium of 68 patients having undergone radical cystectomy for urothelial bladder carcinoma of the bladder at our department between 1998 and 2006 with available paraffin specimens.
To test the hypothesis that common sequence variants in the cell cycle control pathway may affect bladder cancer susceptibility, the effects of a panel of 10 potential functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 7 cell cycle control genes, P53, P21, P27, CDK4, CDK6, CCND1, and STK15, were evaluated on bladder cancer risk in a case-control study of 696 bladder cancer cases and 629 healthy controls.
Forced overexpression of AURKA in urothelial cells induced amplification of centrosomes, chromosome missegregation, and aneuploidy, and natural overexpression was detectable in in situ lesions from patients with bladder cancer.
STK15 gene amplification and associated increased expression of the mitotic kinase it encodes are associated with aneuploidy and aggressive clinical behavior in human bladder cancer.