RNF126 as a Marker of Prognosis and Proliferation of Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM Ring finger protein 126 (RNF126) belongs to the family of RING E3 ubiquitin ligases. Although RNF126 has been reported to be overexpressed in several cancers, the role of RNF126 in gastric cancer remains unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS We investigated the RNF126 expression in 170 primary gastric cancer tissues by immunohistochemistry, and explored its prognostic impact. The effect of the RNF126 expression on the proliferation of cancer cells was evaluated in vitro. RESULTS The RNF126 expression was significantly associated with tumor depth and presence of venous invasion. The RNF126 status was identified as an independent prognostic factor (p<0.001). RNF126 gene silencing significantly inhibited the proliferation of gastric cancer cells, induced G1 phase arrest and increased the p21 protein level. CONCLUSION RNF126 expression has a significant prognostic value in gastric cancer. RNF126 may play an important role in tumor progression of gastric cancer.