title: Cancer-upregulated gene 2 (CUG2) overexpression induces apoptosis in SKOV-3 cells.
abstract: Cancer-upregulated gene 2 (CUG2) was originally identified as a potential oncogene commonly up-regulated in various human cancers. Recently, CUG2 was also identified as a new member of a centromere protein complex, important in the formation of a functional kinetochore complex. Presently, we report the pro-apoptotic effect of CUG2 when this gene was overexpressed in the SKOV-3 human ovarian cancer cell line. Apoptotic cell death mediated by CUG2 overexpression was independently demonstrated using cell viability determination, flow cytometry analysis, chromosome fragmentation assay, and the cleavage of the death substrate poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Moreover, activation of caspase-3 and -8 and the cytoplasmic translocation of mitochondrial cytochrome c were evident upon CUG2 expression. Apoptotic cell death was also observed during early development of zebrafish when CUG2 was overexpressed in zebrafish embryo. We propose that high expression of CUG2 induces apoptotic cell death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea. leesoojin@cnu.ac.kr
authors.forename: Sunhee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Wansoo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: Hyun-Taek
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Cheol-Hee
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Soojin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D045304:Cytochromes c / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015027:Zebrafish
chemical_list: C534000:CENPW protein, human; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D045304:Cytochromes c; D020169:Caspases