Polycystin‐1 induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase in cancer cells

Abstract Studies have shown that polycystin‐1, encoded by PKD1, the major ADPKD, may have a central role in regulating both apoptosis and proliferation, which could prevent the malignant transformation of affected cells. However, as a putative tumor suppressor, direct studies on the possibility that polycystin‐1 may play a role in cancer cells' biological properties have not yet been reported. We have demonstrated that the apoptosis of cancer cells was induced by overexpression of polycystin‐1. After transfection with polycystin‐1, three cancer cell lines, HepG2, A549, and SW480, showed significantly increased apoptosis compared with the respective control groups. This was accompanied by cell cycle arrest at G 0 /G 1 phase, whereas cell proliferation was not significantly affected. Overexpression of polycystin‐1 induces apoptosis in cancer cells, at least partially, through Wnt and a caspase‐dependent pathway.