Background: Coiled-coil domain containing protein-124 (Ccdc124) is a putative mRNA-binding factor associated with cell division, and ribosome biology. Previous reports mentioned an up-regulation of CCDC124 gene in cancer, and listed its mRNA in a molecular prognostic signature in breast cancer.
Objectives: Establishing RNA-binding characteristics of Ccdc124 for a better molecular functional characterization, and carrying-out retrospective studies in order to evaluate its aberrant expression in human cancer samples from various tissue origins.
Methods: Bioinformatics calculations followed by RIP and RNA-seq experiments were performed to investigate mRNA targets of Ccdc124. Quantitative studies on arrays of cDNAs from different cancers and IHC assays on tissue arrays were used to assess CCDC124 expression levels in cancers.
Results: Ccdc124 was characterized as an RNA-binding protein (RBP) interacting with various mRNAs. CCDC124 mRNA levels were high in tumors, with a particular up-regulation in cancers from esophagus, adrenal gland, endometrium, liver, ovary, thyroid, and urinary bladder. IHC assays indicated strong Ccdc124 positivity in endometrial (95.4%), urinary bladder (68.4%), and ovarian cancers (86.8%).
Conclusion: Ccdc124 is a cytokinesis related RBP interacting with various mRNAs. CCDC124 mRNA over-expression and an accompanied increase in Ccdc124 protein accumulation was reported in cancers, indicating this RBP as a novel cancer cell marker.
Keywords: Cancer biomarkers; RNA-binding proteins; coiled-coil domain-containing protein-124; gynecological cancers; ovarian cancer; urinary bladder cancer.