Up-regulated oncoprotein P28GANK correlates with proliferation and poor prognosis of human glioma

BACKGROUND: The significance of p28GANK in gliomas remains unknown. This study aims to clarify the clinical significance of p28GANK in human gliomas. METHODS: The expression of p28GANK in 138 gliomas and 50 matched para-cancerous tissues was detected by immunohistochemical staining, and statistical analyses were performed to test the correlation of p28GANK with clinical parameters. To investigate the effects of p28GANK down-regulation on the growth of cells both in vitro and in vivo, an siRNA targeting p28GANK was transfected into U251 cells. RESULTS: P28GANK expression was significantly higher in tumor specimens than in matched para-cancerous tissues. Over-expressed p28GANK significantly correlated with high karnofsky performance score (KPS), advanced WHO grade and poor overall survival of the patients. Univariate analysis showed that WHO grade and KPS also correlated with the survival of patients, and multivariate analysis suggested that KPS and p28GANK expression were two independent prognostic factors. Moreover, p28GANK gene silencing decreased the malignant growth of U251 cells both in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Increased expression of p28GANK is correlated with poor clinical outcomes in glioma patients. The down-regulation of p28GANK significantly inhibited cell proliferation, indicating that p28GANK might be a potential therapeutic target for glioma treatment.