Long non-coding RNA H19 increases bladder cancer metastasis by associating with EZH2 and inhibiting E-cadherin expression

IncRNA H19 is essential for human tumor growth. However, little is known about whether H19 regulates bladder cancer metastasis. Here we found that H19 levels are remarkably increased in bladder cancer tissues, and upregulated H19 promotes bladder cancer cell migration in vitro and in vivo. H19 is associated with enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), and that this association results in Wnt/beta-catenin activation and subsequent downregulation of E-cadherin. A significant negative correlation is also observed between H19 levels and E-cad levels in vivo. These data suggest that upregulated H19 enhances bladder cancer metastasis by associating with EZH2 and inhibiting E-cad expression. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.