UBE2C: a potential therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker for prostate cancer patients

UBE2C (Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2C) has been confirmed to be closely associated with the progression of various cancers, but its specific role and clinical diagnostic and prognostic value in prostate cancer (PRAD) remain unclear. This study systematically assessed the expression characteristics, prognostic significance, and genetic mutations of UBE2C in cancer patients by integrating data from databases such as TCGA, GEO, cBioPortal, and COSMIC. Experimentally, we explored the biological functions of UBE2C in the occurrence and development of PRAD using various methods, including functional enrichment analysis, CCK8 cell proliferation assay, colony formation assay, Transwell migration and invasion assay, Edu staining, 3D tumor spheroid culture, cell cycle analysis, apoptosis detection, and xenograft tumor models. After knocking down UBE2C expression, the proliferation ability, migration and invasion ability of PRAD cells, as well as the growth of xenograft tumors, were all inhibited, and the cell cycle process and apoptosis were changed accordingly. These findings provide favorable experimental evidence and theoretical support for UBE2C as a novel molecular marker for prognosis assessment in solid tumors.