title: Polycomb protein family member CBX7 plays a critical role in cancer progression.
abstract: CBX7 is a polycomb protein that participates in the formation of polycomb repressive complex 1. Apart from few exceptions, CBX7 expression is lost in human malignant neoplasias and a clear correlation between its downregulated expression and a cancer aggressiveness and poor prognosis has been observed. These findings indicate a critical role of CBX7 in cancer progression. Consistently, CBX7 is able to differentially regulate crucial genes involved in cancer progression and in epithelial-mesenchymal transition, as osteopontin and E-cadherin. Recent evidences indicate a role of CBX7 also in the modulation of response to therapy. In conclusion, CBX7 represents an important prognostic factor, whose loss of expression in general indicates a bad prognosis and a progression towards a fully malignant phenotype.
authors.affiliation: Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale (IEOS), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), c/o Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche (DMMBM), Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Pierlorenzo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pallante
authors.affiliation: Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale (IEOS), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), c/o Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche (DMMBM), Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Floriana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Forzati
authors.affiliation: Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale (IEOS), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), c/o Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche (DMMBM), Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Federico
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Fondazione Pascale Via M. Semmola, 80131 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arra
authors.affiliation: Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale (IEOS), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), c/o Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche (DMMBM), Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy ; Instituto Nacional de Câncer - INCA Rua André Cavalcanti, 37-Centro, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 20231-050 RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fusco
keywords: CBX7; cancer progression; polycomb group