Transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif overexpression promotes cell proliferation and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif deficiency induces cell cycle arrest in neuroblastoma

Transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) is a transcriptional co-activator which binds to a variety of transcription factors. An increasing number of studies have provided evidence that TAZ may be a positive regulator of cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. To reveal the underlying mechanisms by which TAZ controls these cellular processes, the present study used lentivirus expression system, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and subcutaneous xenograft assays. The present study demonstrated that TAZ promoted and was indispensable for neuroblastoma cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. Additional mechanistic assays revealed that the downregulation of TAZ induced cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase, which may be mediated through the inhibition of cyclin E2 expression. These findings indicated that TAZ may serve as a potential neuroblastoma therapeutic target.