The polycomb group (PcG) proteins form chromatin-modifying complexes that are commonly deregulated in cancer. The PcG protein BMI-I is overexpressed by various tumours and thus may contribute to malignant transformation. The current study investigated the expression of BMI-I in human specimens of breast, ovarian, endometrial and cervical cancer.

Expression of BMI-I was evaluated in human ovarian cancer samples by Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry (IHC) and compared to healthy ovarian tissue. BMI-I expression in human specimens of breast, endometrial and cervical cancer was evaluated by IHC and then compared with the respective benign tissues.

BMI-I was significantly (p<0.05) overexpressed in human breast, ovarian, endometrial and cervical cancer specimens as compared to benign controls. BMI-I expression was also more pronounced in the ovarian cancer samples as demonstrated by Western blot analysis. In human breast cancer samples, BMI-I expression was most pronounced in the invasion front of the tumour.

The current study showed for the first time that the BMI-I protein is significantly overexpressed in ovarian, endometrial and cervical cancer and may thus be a potential target for novel antitumor therapies.

PMID: 20592341 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Source: National Library of Medicine.