YAP knockdown inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of human prostate cancer DU145 cells

The role of yes-associated protein (YAP) in human prostate cancer DU145 cells and its underlying molecular mechanisms were explored in the present study. Initially, the expression levels of YAP were detected in DU145 cells, which revealed that YAP was highly expressed in these cells. To investigate the role of YAP in DU145 cells, a stable YAP-silenced DU145 cell line was generated using YAP-small interfering RNA. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were performed for mRNA and protein detection, respectively. An MTT assay and flow cytometry were performed to investigate the proliferation and apoptosis of DU145 cells. The results demonstrated that YAP knockdown significantly decreased the proliferative ability of DU145 cells, whereas the percentage of apoptotic cells was markedly increased, compared with the control. In addition, the mRNA and protein expression levels of connective tissue growth factor and cysteine-rich angiogenic factor 61 were notably decreased, the ratio of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)/Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) was significantly reduced, and the expression levels of caspase 3 were significantly decreased within YAP-silenced DU145 cells. In conclusion, YAP knockdown reduced the proliferation and induced apoptosis of DU145 cells. Therefore, the gene transcription and protein expression of YAP may be involved in the development of prostate cancer and may be considered a potential target for the treatment of such cancers.