Background/aim: Nuclear factor I (NFI) A and NFIB are transcription factors involved in the regulation of cell differentiation and organ development. More recently, they have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer, acting as context-dependent tumor promoters or suppressors.
Materials and methods: Expression of NFIA and NFIB was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 136 primary urothelial bladder cancers.
Results: Progressive down-regulation of NFIA was observed with increasing pT stages and higher grade of analyzed tumors. Consequently, muscle invasive cancers exhibited lower NFIA expression compared with non-muscle invasive cases. Analogous comparisons yielded negative results in the case of NFIB. Expression of neither protein was associated with patient survival.
Conclusion: NFIA may act as a suppressor of urothelial carcinogenesis, but functional studies and understanding of post-transcriptional regulation of NFI expression is necessary to dissect its role in bladder malignancies.
Keywords: NFIA; NFIB; bladder cancer; muscle-invasive bladder cancer; urothelial carcinoma.
Copyright © 2022 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.