TEAD4 as a Prognostic Marker Promotes Cell Migration and Invasion of Urinary Bladder Cancer via EMT

Purpose: As a member of TEA Domain Transcription Factors (TEADs), TEAD4 was found to be upregulated in urinary bladder cancer (UBC). This study focused on investigating the clinical value and potential functions of TEAD4 in UBC. Materials and Methods: Patients' samples, TCGA-BLCA and multiple GEO datasets were applied to explore the expression pattern of TEAD4 in UBC. Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were carried out to evaluate the prognostic significance of TEAD4 in UBC. Wound healing and transwell assays were performed to explore the biological functions of TEAD4 in UBC cells. Results: The results of TCGA-BLCA, GEO datasets, Western blotting and immunohisto-chemistry staining (IHC) indicated that TEAD4 was strikingly elevated in UBC tissues as compared to their normal counterparts, and upregulation of TEAD4 was significantly correlated with clinical stage, pathological grade and poor clinical outcome. Functional studies demonstrated that TEAD4 knockdown suppressed cell migration and invasion by reducing the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) related markers and transcription regulators. Conclusion: Our results suggest that TEAD4 may serve as a novel prognostic biomarker and a promising therapeutic target for UBC, and act as a pro-tumorigenic gene to promote cell migration and invasion by inducing EMT.