title: UBE2C is overexpressed in ESCC tissues and its abrogation attenuates the malignant phenotype of ESCC cell lines.
abstract: The esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is widely known as a highly lethal and poor understood cancer, then requiring the search for novel molecular markers to improve its management and patients survival. Recently, ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2C (UBE2C) has been figuring as a prominent tumor biomarker candidate, once it has been recognized as a key player in cell cycle progression. In this way, the aim of this study was to evaluate the expression profile of UBE2C gene and protein in ESCC samples, as well as its diagnostic and prognostic marker potential, and its contribution to ESSC genesis and/or progression by performing in vitro functional assays. The analysis of UBE2C gene expression in 52 paired ESCC samples (tumor and respective histologically normal surrounding tissue), by qRT-PCR, revealed that this gene is overexpressed in 73% of ESCC samples. Subsequently, immunohistochemical analysis confirmed that UBE2C protein expression was upregulated in all ESCC cases, but absent in the histologically normal tumor surrounding tissues. Moreover, we showed that UBE2C mRNA expression was able to accurately discriminate ESCC tissue from both healthy esophageal and histologically normal tumor surrounding tissues, pointing out its role as a diagnostic marker for this cancer. Finally, we report that UBE2C affects proliferation rates and cell cycle profile of ESCC cell lines, by directly interfering with cyclin B1 protein levels, suggesting its involvement in crucial steps of ESCC carcinogenesis.
authors: Programa de Carcinogênese Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Câncer - INCA, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.|Laboratório de Interações Celulares, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Prédio de Ciências da Saúde - Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Palumbo
authors: Programa de Carcinogênese Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Câncer - INCA, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors: Nathalia Meireles
authors: NM
authors: Da Costa
authors: Istituto di Endocrinologia e Oncologia Sperimentale - CNR c/o Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: De Martino
authors: Istituto di Endocrinologia e Oncologia Sperimentale - CNR c/o Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
authors: Romina
authors: R
authors: Sepe
authors: Istituto di Endocrinologia e Oncologia Sperimentale - CNR c/o Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
authors: Simona
authors: S
authors: Pellecchia
authors: Programa de Carcinogênese Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Câncer - INCA, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors: Vanessa Paiva Leite
authors: VP
authors: de Sousa
authors: Programa de Carcinogênese Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Câncer - INCA, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors: Pedro
authors: P
authors: Nicolau Neto
authors: Departamento de Cirurgia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors: Cleber Dario
authors: CD
authors: Kruel
authors: Programa de Carcinogênese Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Câncer - INCA, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors: Anke
authors: A
authors: Bergman
authors: Laboratório de Interações Celulares, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Prédio de Ciências da Saúde - Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
authors: Luiz Eurico
authors: LE
authors: Nasciutti
authors: Programa de Carcinogênese Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Câncer - INCA, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.|Istituto di Endocrinologia e Oncologia Sperimentale - CNR c/o Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
authors: Alfredo
authors: A
authors: Fusco
authors: Programa de Carcinogênese Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Câncer - INCA, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors: Luis Felipe Ribeiro
authors: LF
authors: Pinto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002453:Cell Cycle; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D018450:Disease Progression; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D044763:Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C105156:UBE2C protein, human; D044763:Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes
keywords: UBE2C; cell cycle; cyclin B1; diagnostic biomarker; esophageal squamous cell carcinoma