Department of Radiation Biology, Environmental Safety Assessment Research Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 111, Daedeok-Daero 989 Beon-Gil, Yuseong-Gu, 34057, Daejeon, Korea.
Department of Radiation Science and Technology, Korea University of Science and Technology, Yuseong-Gu, 34113, Daejeon, Korea.
BMC Cancer. 2024 Mar 7;24(1):319. doi: 10.1186/s12885-024-12085-0.
A high expression pattern of minichromosome maintenance 2 (MCM2) has been observed in various cancers. MCM2 is a protein involved in the cell cycle and plays a role in cancer growth and differentiation by binding to six members of the MCM subfamily. The MCM protein family includes MCM2 through MCM7.
MCM2 has shown high expression in both lung cancer stem cells (LCSCs) and glioma stem cells (GSCs). We investigated the characteristics of CSCs and the regulation of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenomenon in LCSCs and GSCs by MCM2. Additionally, we explored secreted factors regulated by MCM2.
There was a significant difference in survival rates between lung cancer patients and brain cancer patients based on MCM2 expression. MCM2 was found to regulate both markers and regulatory proteins in LCSCs. Moreover, MCM2 is thought to be involved in cancer metastasis by regulating cell migration and invasion, not limited to lung cancer but also identified in glioma. Among chemokines, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1) was found to be regulated by MCM2.
MCM2 not only participates in the cell cycle but also affects cancer cell growth by regulating the external microenvironment to create a favorable environment for cells. MCM2 is highly expressed in malignant carcinomas, including CSCs, and contributes to the malignancy of various cancers. Therefore, MCM2 may represent a crucial target for cancer therapeutics.
微染色体维持蛋白 2（MCM2）在各种癌症中表达水平较高。MCM2 是一种与 MCM 亚家族的六个成员结合，参与细胞周期并在癌症生长和分化中发挥作用的蛋白质。MCM 蛋白家族包括 MCM2 到 MCM7。
MCM2 在肺癌干细胞（LCSC）和神经胶质瘤干细胞（GSC）中均呈高表达。我们研究了 LCSC 和 GSC 中的 CSC 特征以及 MCM2 对上皮-间质转化（EMT）现象的调控。此外，我们还研究了由 MCM2 调节的分泌因子。
根据 MCM2 表达，肺癌患者和脑癌患者的生存率存在显著差异。MCM2 被发现调节 LCSC 中的标志物和调节蛋白。此外，MCM2 被认为通过调节细胞迁移和侵袭参与癌症转移，不仅限于肺癌，在神经胶质瘤中也有发现。在趋化因子中，发现趋化因子（C-X-C 基序）配体 1（CXCL1）受 MCM2 调节。
MCM2 不仅参与细胞周期，还通过调节外部微环境来影响癌细胞生长，为细胞创造有利环境。MCM2 在包括 CSC 在内的恶性癌中高度表达，并有助于各种癌症的恶性程度。因此，MCM2 可能代表癌症治疗的重要靶点。
