Expression and significance of Oct4 in bladder cancer

In order to detect the expression of Oct4 in bladder cancer tissue and cell line BIU-87, immunohistochemistry was used in 49 bladder cancer biopsy samples and immunofluorescence and reverse transcription-PCR were performed on bladder cancer cell line BIU-87. Forty of 49 bladder cancer samples showed the expression of Oct4 in about 0.6% cancer cells. The positive rate and density of Oct4 expression had no obvious relationship with the grade, recurrence or metastasis of bladder cancer (P>0.05). A few Oct4 positive cells were found in bladder cancer cell line BIU-87, which was also confirmed by RT-PCR. This study indicated the existence of few Oct4 positive cells in bladder cancer, which may be the bladder cancer stem cells. This study may provide the foundation for isolation and identification of bladder cancer stem cells.