Abstract
BACKGROUND: Bladder cancer (BLCA) is a common urological tumor. Homeobox C6 (HOXC6) is an HOX family gene that has an oncogenic effect in various malignancies. AIM: To investigate the expression and function of HOXC6 in BLCA. METHODS: This study employed immunohistochemistry, along with global chip and sequencing data for BLCA, to comprehensively evaluate the protein and mRNA expression of HOXC6 in BLCA. RNA interference technology was employed to knock down the mRNA expression of HOXC6 in BLCA cells, and the impact of reduced HOXC6 expression on cellular function was assessed. Additionally, we explored the potential mechanisms of HOXC6 in BLCA by aggregating HOXC6 chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing data. RESULTS: The immunohistochemistry results, sequencing data, and microarray data revealed that both the mRNA and protein expressions of HOXC6 in BLCA were notably greater than the expressions in non-cancerous tissues. Knocking down the expression of HOXC6 considerably limited the function of cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of BLCA cells, elevated cell apoptosis, and triggered the G0/G1 phase blockade. The potential target genes of HOXC6 were enriched in pathways such as chemical carcinogenesis and reactive oxygen species. A notable positive correlation between HOXC6 mRNA expression and its target gene timeless circadian regulator (TIMELESS) was revealed. Notable binding peak signals for HOXC6 were identified in the promoter region of TIMELESS. CONCLUSION: HOXC6 is upregulated in BLCA and may influence the cellular functions of BLCA by regulating the expression of the target gene TIMELESS.