Aberrant expression and possible involvement of the leptin receptor in bladder cancer

Objectives. To explore the expression patterns and possible involvement of leptin and its receptor in the pathogenesis of urinary bladder cancer, with a focus on transitional cell carcinoma. Methods. Using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, immunoblotting, and immunohistochemistry techniques, we correlated the expression patterns of leptin and its receptor with the occurrence of transitional cell carcinoma. We also applied transient transfection followed by BrdU labeling and immunofluorescent staining to address the effect of the leptin receptor on bladder cancer cell growth. Results. Although leptin was not detected in the bladder tissue specimens, a decreased expression of the leptin receptor was observed in most cancer tissue specimens we analyzed. Furthermore, the forced expression of the leptin receptor in T24 bladder cancer cells prevented them from entering the S phase. Conclusions. Our data demonstrated for the first time that the leptin receptor is aberrantly expressed in bladder cancer tissue and is possibly involved in the carcinogenesis of bladder cancer.