ARHGAP6 inhibits bladder cancer cell viability, migration, and invasion via β-catenin signaling and enhances mitomycin C sensitivity

The Rho/ROCK pathway regulates diverse cellular processes and contributes to the development and advancement of several types of human cancers. This study investigated the role of specific Rho GTPase-activating proteins (RhoGAP), ARHGAP6, in bladder cancer (BC). In this study, ARHGAP6 expression in BC and its clinical significance were investigated. In vitro and in vivo assays were used to explore the tumor-related function and the underlying molecular mechanism ARHGAP6 of in BC. The mRNA and protein levels of ARHGAP6 significantly reduced in human BC tissues and cell lines compared with corresponding adjacent non-cancerous tissues and normal urothelial cells. In vitro, ARHGAP6 overexpression markedly decreased the viability, migration, and invasion of BC cells. Interestingly, low ARHGAP6 expression in BC strongly correlated with poor patient survival and was highly associated with metastasis and β-catenin signaling. Furthermore, ARHGAP6 expression strongly influenced the sensitivity of BC cells to mitomycin C treatment. Together, our results demonstrate that ARHGAP6 plays critical roles in regulating the proliferation, migration, invasion, and metastasis of BC cells possibly via the modulation of β-catenin and strongly influences the chemosensitivity of BC cells.