IGF2BP3 As a Prognostic Biomarker and Regulator of Metastasis in Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive skin cancer with frequent metastasis; however, effective treatment options for advanced disease are often lacking. In this study, we investigated the clinical significance and functional impact of IGF2 mRNA-binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3) in MCC. Our results...

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Main Authors: Yajie Yang, Jiwei Gao, Hao Shi, Harri Sihto, Sami Kilpinen, François Vilcot, Libuse Janská, Jakob Jeschonneck, Todor Cvetanovic, Anders Höög, Jan Siarov, John Paoli, C. Christofer Juhlin, Lisa Villabona, Catharina Larsson, Weng-Onn Lui
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Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:JID Innovations
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667026725000098
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author Yajie Yang
Jiwei Gao
Hao Shi
Harri Sihto
Sami Kilpinen
François Vilcot
Libuse Janská
Jakob Jeschonneck
Todor Cvetanovic
Anders Höög
Jan Siarov
John Paoli
C. Christofer Juhlin
Lisa Villabona
Catharina Larsson
Weng-Onn Lui
author_facet Yajie Yang
Jiwei Gao
Hao Shi
Harri Sihto
Sami Kilpinen
François Vilcot
Libuse Janská
Jakob Jeschonneck
Todor Cvetanovic
Anders Höög
Jan Siarov
John Paoli
C. Christofer Juhlin
Lisa Villabona
Catharina Larsson
Weng-Onn Lui
author_sort Yajie Yang
collection DOAJ
description Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive skin cancer with frequent metastasis; however, effective treatment options for advanced disease are often lacking. In this study, we investigated the clinical significance and functional impact of IGF2 mRNA-binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3) in MCC. Our results revealed elevated IGF2BP3 expression in metastases compared to that in primary tumors. High IGF2BP3 levels in primary MCCs were associated with shorter disease-specific survival rates. In an MCC xenograft model, the lung metastases exhibited increased IGF2BP3 expression. Functional studies showed that IGF2BP3 primarily regulates MCC cell migration and invasion. We identified 281 direct RNA targets of IGF2BP3 with enriched functions linked to metastasis-related processes, and several targets overlapped with genes differentially expressed between MCC primary tumors and metastases, implying that IGF2BP3 and its targets contribute to tumor progression. Inhibition or silencing of bromodomain-containing protein 4 reduced IGF2BP3 expression, suggesting that bromodomain-containing protein 4 is a potential regulator of IGF2BP3. Our study underscores the role of IGF2BP3 in MCC metastasis and its potential as a prognostic biomarker.
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spelling doaj-art-1c110571b91d41f580addfd67dc856452025-08-20T03:10:27ZengElsevierJID Innovations2667-02672025-05-015310035510.1016/j.xjidi.2025.100355IGF2BP3 As a Prognostic Biomarker and Regulator of Metastasis in Merkel Cell CarcinomaYajie Yang0Jiwei Gao1Hao Shi2Harri Sihto3Sami Kilpinen4François Vilcot5Libuse Janská6Jakob Jeschonneck7Todor Cvetanovic8Anders Höög9Jan Siarov10John Paoli11C. Christofer Juhlin12Lisa Villabona13Catharina Larsson14Weng-Onn Lui15Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and BioClinicum, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden; Correspondence: Yajie Yang, BioClinicum J6:20, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-171 64 Solna, Sweden.Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and BioClinicum, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, SwedenDepartment of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and BioClinicum, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, SwedenDepartment of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, FinlandMolecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and BioClinicum, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, SwedenDepartment of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and BioClinicum, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, SwedenDepartment of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and BioClinicum, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, SwedenDepartment of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and BioClinicum, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, SwedenDepartment of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and BioClinicum, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden; Department of Clinical Pathology and Cancer Diagnostics, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenDepartment of Dermatology and Venereology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenDepartment of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and BioClinicum, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden; Department of Clinical Pathology and Cancer Diagnostics, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and BioClinicum, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, SwedenDepartment of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and BioClinicum, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden; Department of Clinical Pathology and Cancer Diagnostics, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet and BioClinicum, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden; Weng-Onn Lui, BioClinicum J6:20, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-171 64 Solna, Sweden.Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive skin cancer with frequent metastasis; however, effective treatment options for advanced disease are often lacking. In this study, we investigated the clinical significance and functional impact of IGF2 mRNA-binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3) in MCC. Our results revealed elevated IGF2BP3 expression in metastases compared to that in primary tumors. High IGF2BP3 levels in primary MCCs were associated with shorter disease-specific survival rates. In an MCC xenograft model, the lung metastases exhibited increased IGF2BP3 expression. Functional studies showed that IGF2BP3 primarily regulates MCC cell migration and invasion. We identified 281 direct RNA targets of IGF2BP3 with enriched functions linked to metastasis-related processes, and several targets overlapped with genes differentially expressed between MCC primary tumors and metastases, implying that IGF2BP3 and its targets contribute to tumor progression. Inhibition or silencing of bromodomain-containing protein 4 reduced IGF2BP3 expression, suggesting that bromodomain-containing protein 4 is a potential regulator of IGF2BP3. Our study underscores the role of IGF2BP3 in MCC metastasis and its potential as a prognostic biomarker.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667026725000098BiomarkerIGF2BP3Merkel cell carcinomaMetastasis
spellingShingle Yajie Yang
Jiwei Gao
Hao Shi
Harri Sihto
Sami Kilpinen
François Vilcot
Libuse Janská
Jakob Jeschonneck
Todor Cvetanovic
Anders Höög
Jan Siarov
John Paoli
C. Christofer Juhlin
Lisa Villabona
Catharina Larsson
Weng-Onn Lui
IGF2BP3 As a Prognostic Biomarker and Regulator of Metastasis in Merkel Cell Carcinoma
JID Innovations
Biomarker
IGF2BP3
Merkel cell carcinoma
Metastasis
title IGF2BP3 As a Prognostic Biomarker and Regulator of Metastasis in Merkel Cell Carcinoma
title_full IGF2BP3 As a Prognostic Biomarker and Regulator of Metastasis in Merkel Cell Carcinoma
title_fullStr IGF2BP3 As a Prognostic Biomarker and Regulator of Metastasis in Merkel Cell Carcinoma
title_full_unstemmed IGF2BP3 As a Prognostic Biomarker and Regulator of Metastasis in Merkel Cell Carcinoma
title_short IGF2BP3 As a Prognostic Biomarker and Regulator of Metastasis in Merkel Cell Carcinoma
title_sort igf2bp3 as a prognostic biomarker and regulator of metastasis in merkel cell carcinoma
topic Biomarker
IGF2BP3
Merkel cell carcinoma
Metastasis
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667026725000098
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