PI3K/AKT pathway genetic alterations and dysregulation of expression in bladder cancer.

Purpose: To examine the involvement of specific components of the PI3K/AKT pathway in urinary bladder cancer development.

Methods: Samples from 65 tumors and 13 normal bladder tissues were collected. Genomic DNA isolation from snap-frozen and paraffin-embedded laser-microdissected tissues was followed by Sanger sequencing, whereas total RNA was purified for use in RT-PCR analyses.

Grade-dependent effects on cell cycle progression and apoptosis in response to doxorubicin in human bladder cancer cell lines.

Doxorubicin is an important component of combination therapy for muscle-invasive urinary bladder cancer. Treatment with this topoisomerase II poison is able to interfere with cell cycle progression and lead to cancer cell death. Using FACS analysis, Western immunoblotting and semi-quantitative RT-PCR, we studied the effects of doxorubicin on cell cycle progression and apoptosis, and also explored the possibility of using groups of genes as biomarkers of prognosis and/or response to doxorubicin treatment in human urinary bladder cancer cells.