PLCε knockdown inhibits prostate cancer cell proliferation via suppression of Notch signalling and nuclear translocation of the androgen receptor

•We demonstrated that the protein of Phospholipase Cε (PLCε) was high level in human prostate cancer tissues.•We revealed that Interference of PLCε significantly decreased cell proliferation in prostate cancer.•We found that Notch1 and androgen receptor (AR) signalling were involved in the oncogenic effect of PLCε.

Phospholipase Cε (PLCε), a key regulator of diverse cellular functions, has been implicated in various malignancies. Indeed, PLCε functions include cell proliferation, apoptosis and malignant transformation. Here, we show that PLCε expression is elevated in prostate cancer (PCa) tissues compared to benign prostate tissues. Furthermore, PLCε depletion using an adenovirally delivered shRNA significantly decreased cell growth and colony formation, arresting the PC3 and LNCaP cell lines in the S phase of the cell cycle. We also observed that PLCε was significantly correlated with Notch1 and androgen receptor (AR). Additionally, we demonstrate that the activation of both the Notch and AR signalling pathways is involved in PLCε-mediated oncogenic effects in PCa. Our findings suggest that PLCε is a putative oncogene and prognostic marker, potentially representing a novel therapeutic target for PCa.