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Updated: Feb 27, 2026

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Transmembrane Protein Family-Related Markers in Gastric Cancer and Implications for Targeted Therapies
Published on: September 15, 2023
ER membrane protein complex subunit 6 (EMC6) is a novel tumor suppressor in gastric cancer
Xiaokun Wang1, Yan Xia2, Chentong Xu2
1Departments of Cell Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
Abstract:
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane protein complex subunit 6 (EMC6) is a novel human autophagy-related molecule. Here, using tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry, we report that EMC6 protein is lost or reduced in glandular cells of patients with gastric adenocarcinoma, compared to normal stomach mucosa. Overexpression of EMC6 in gastric cancer cells inhibited cell growth, migration, invasion, and induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at S-phase. Further investigation suggested that EMC6 overexpression in BGC823 human adenocarcinoma gastric cancer cells reduced tumorigenicity in a xenograft model, demonstrating that EMC6 has the characteristics of a tumor suppressor. This is the first study to show that EMC6 induces cell death in gastric cancer cells. The molecular mechanism of how EMC6 functions as a tumor suppressor needs to be further explored. [BMB Reports 2017; 50(8): 411-416].
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