It has been suggested that ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2C (UBE2C, also known as UBCH10) represents a promising cancer biomarker. However, the clinicopathological or prognostic significance as well as the functions of UBE2C in bladder cancer are largely unknown. To investigate the significance of UBE2C expression in bladder cancer, immunohistochemical analysis was performed using a tissue microarray. UBE2C positivity was observed in 51 of 82 (62%) bladder urothelial carcinoma cases treated with radical cystectomy. In contrast, UBE2C was negative in all of the non-neoplastic urothelium examined. UBE2C positivity was significantly associated with higher tumor stage (p=0.0061) and presence of lymphovascular invasion (p=0.0045). In addition, UBE2C positivity was significantly associated with shorter cancer-specific survival after cystectomy (log rank p=0.0017; multivariate hazard ratio, 2.49; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-5.71). Small interfering RNA-mediated suppression of UBE2C in UM-UC-3 bladder cancer cells inhibited cell proliferation in vitro. Taken together, our results suggest that UBE2C is a novel prognostic biomarker as well as a potential therapeutic target in bladder cancer.
Keywords: Cell cycle; immunohistochemistry; pathology; prognosis; urinary tract.