Evaluation of survivin, an inhibitor of apoptosis, in canine urinary bladder tissues

Survivin is a protein that inhibits programmed cell death. It is overexpressed in human cancers, including human urinary bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). TCC in dogs is a model for the human tumor. The objectives of this study were to identify survivin in canine TCC tissue, evaluate survivin expression in TCC, cystitis (inflammatory bladder), and normal urinary bladder tissues, and correlate survivin expression with cell proliferation. We aimed to demonstrate that survivin is overexpressed in canine urinary bladder TCC, and therefore, it may regulate cell proliferation and may serve as a target for therapy.