NCR3LG1 (B7-H6) is a potential prognostic factor for bladder cancer patients.

Background: NCR3LG1 (B7-H6) protein is selectively overexpressed on tumour and is associated with fatal disease progression of various cancer. However, its prognostic value in bladder cancer (BCa) has not been well elaborated.

Methods: We examined the expression of NCR3LG1 in human BCa and analysed its clinical significance and prognostic value. Meanwhile, the expression of NCR3LG1 was intervened in human BCa cell line 253JBV to analyse subsequent effects on tumour.

Results: According to TCGA data, the disease-free survival rate was statistically significant between the NCR3LG1 high expression group and the low expression group (Log Rank  = 0.006). Immunohistochemical staining showed that the expression of NCR3LG1 in BCa tissue was significantly higher than that in adjacent tissues ( < 0.0001), which was positively correlated with TNM staging ( = 0.008), histological grade ( = 0.022), and lymphoma metastasis of BCa ( = 0.032). The proliferation ( < 0.0001), invasion ( < 0.001) and migration ability ( < 0.001) of 253JBV cells are significantly inhibited by knocking down the expression of NCR3LG1, and the cell cycle arrest is induced at the G1 phase, which accelerates the apoptosis of BCa cells ( < 0.005).

Conclusion: Our findings indicate that NCR3LG1 is involved in the progression of human BCa and may become a potential prognostic biomarker for BCa.