Silencing of CDC42 inhibits neuroblastoma cell proliferation and transformation

Cell division cycle 42 (CDC42), a small GTPase of the Rho-subfamily, regulates diverse cellular functions including proliferation, cytoskeletal rearrangement and even promotes malignant transformation. Here, we found that increased expression of CDC42 correlated with undifferentiated neuroblastoma as compared to a more benign phenotype. CDC42 inhibition decreased cell growth and soft agar colony formation, and increased cell death in BE(2)-C and BE(2)-M17 cell lines, but not in SK-N-AS. In addition, silencing of CDC42 decreased expression of N-myc in BE(2)-C and BE(2)-M17 cells. Our findings suggest that CDC42 may play a role in the regulation of aggressive neuroblastoma behavior.