Increased expression of ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 in astrocytomas of ascending grades

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway controls the monitoring and degradation of important proteins and is involved in several cellular processes, such as development, differentiation, and transcriptional regulation. Recent evidence has shown that ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1), a member of the deubiquitinating enzyme family that removes ubiquitin from protein substrates, is overexpressed in many types of cancer. AIM: This study thus examined the expression of UCH-L1 in human astrocytoma tissues. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded astrocytoma samples were obtained from 40 patients, after which histopathological examination, typing, and grading were performed. The study group included 10 histologically normal brain tissues, which served as the control group, and 10 WHO grade II, 10 WHO grade III, and 10 WHO grade IV (glioblastoma) samples. Normal brain tissue samples were obtained from the histologically normal, non-tumoral portion of the pathology specimens. UCH-L1 expression was evaluated using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Astrocytoma tissues exhibited higher UCH-L1 expression compared to the control group. UCH-L1 overexpression increased significantly together with the increase in astrocytoma grades (from II to IV). CONCLUSION: UCH-L1 could be a good diagnostic and therapeutic marker for determining astrocytoma development and progression.