Object: This study aimed at investigating the clinical significance and biological function of ubiquitination factor E4B (UBE4B) in human renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
Methods: 19 paired clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) tumor samples and the matched neighboring non-tumor samples were used to detect the expression of UBE4B in RCC tumor by Western blotting and RT-qPCR. UBE4B expression was also detected in 151 ccRCC paraffin-embedded tumor samples by using immunohistochemistry. Overall survival (OS) in different UBE4B expression groups were compared with Log rank test. The prognostic value of UBE4B expression in OS was evaluated with the univariate and multivariate Cox regression models. UBE4B was knocked down by small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology, and the effect of UBE4B on cell proliferation, colony formation, metastasis, apoptosis and cell cycle of RCC cells were examined in vitro.
Results: Both protein and mRNA levels of UBE4B were up-regulated in ccRCC tumor tissues in contrast to the corresponding adjacent nontumor ones. UBE4B expression was positively associated with tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage and distant metastasis in ccRCC patients. Survival analyses indicated that low expression of UBE4B was associated with increased OS in ccRCC patients. Functional analyses demonstrated that siRNA silencing of UBE4B expression in SKRC39 and ACHN cells further reduced the growth, motility and invasiveness of RCC cells. Moreover, siRNA silencing of UBE4B in the RCC cell lines did not induce apoptosis, and an increase in the cell population was observed during the G₀/G₁ phase of the cell cycle.
Conclusion: UBE4B might act as an oncogene in regulating RCC development. Therefore it could be served as an effective indicator to predict OS and a potential biomarker for targeted therapy of RCC patients.
Keywords: renal cell carcinoma, UBE4B, prognosis, oncogene