Long non-coding RNA urothelial carcinoma associated 1 (UCA1) promotes human 
bladder cancer cell proliferation, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. 
After knocking down of UCA1 in BLZ-211 cells, several cell cycle-related genes 
(CDKN2B, EP300 and TGFβ-2) were screened by microarray assay and validated by 
real-time PCR. Interestingly, in western blot analysis, p300 (encoded by EP300) 
and its coactivator cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) level were 
significantly down-regulated. Both suppression of UCA1 expression by shRNA in 
BLZ-211 cells and ectopic expression of UCA1 in UMUC-2 cells showed that UCA1 
alteration paralleled to the expression and phosphorylation of CREB, and UCA1 
obviously influenced AKT expression and activity. Furthermore, in BLZ-211 cells, 
cell cycle progression was greatly reduced after PI3-K pathway was blocked by 
LY294002, indicating that UCA1 affected cell cycle progression through CREB. 
Taken together, we concluded that UCA1 regulated cell cycle through CREB via 
PI3K-AKT dependent pathway in bladder cancer.