Oncotarget

Research Papers:

Enhanced intratumoral expression of RNF2 is a favorable prognostic factor for patients with cutaneous melanoma?

Łukasz Kuźbicki, Dariusz Lange, Agata Stanek-Widera, Agnieszka Glińska and Barbara W. Chwirot _

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Oncotarget. 2018; 9:17656-17663. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.24825

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Abstract

Łukasz Kuźbicki1, Dariusz Lange2, Agata Stanek-Widera2, Agnieszka Glińska1 and Barbara W. Chwirot1

1Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Biology and Environment Protection, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland

2Department of Tumor Pathology, Oncology Center – Maria Skłodowska-Curie Institute, Gliwice, Poland

Correspondence to:

Barbara W. Chwirot, email: [email protected]

Keywords: RNF2 (Ring1B); intratumoral expression; immunohistochemistry; prognostic marker; cutaneous melanoma

Received: October 18, 2017     Accepted: February 28, 2018     Published: April 03, 2018

ABSTRACT

Recent studies involving melanoma cell lines suggest that enhanced expression of epigenetic regulator RNF2 supports proliferation and promotes metastasis. However, it is not clear to what extent those data apply to disease progression and prognosis for melanoma patients. Therefore the aim of the present study was to assess the prognostic power of RNF2 intratumoral expression by melanoma cells.

RNF2 was detected immunohistochemically in standard formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples of 9 benign nevi, 60 melanomas and 24 nodal metastases.

The lowest percentage of RNF2-positive melanocytes found in nevi was comparable to expression levels in normal skin. The RNF2 expression found in melanomas was significantly higher and it was even more enhanced in metastases. The increased occurrence of RNF2 expressing cells was positively correlated with longer patients’ overall survival. Moreover, a negative correlation was found between intratumoral RNF2 expression and number of generated metastatic lesions.

Our data indicate that development of melanoma is associated with significant changes in RNF2 intratumoral expression and imply that at least for some patients the enhancement of the expression levels of RNF2 in both primary and metastatic lesions may be considered a favorable prognostic factor in melanoma.


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