Procollagen C-protease enhancer protein promotes glioma growth by activating ERK signaling.

Background: Procollagen C-proteinase enhancer (PCOLCE) promotes tumor progression in multiple cancers. However, the specific role of PCOLCE in gliomas remains enigmatic. In this study, we focused on analyzing PCOLCE expression and its correlation with clinicopathological parameters in glioma specimens; moreover, we explored the effects of PCOLCE in glioma proliferation in vitro and in vivo.

Methods: A tissue microarray containing 159 human glioma specimens was pressed to explore the correlation between PCOLCE expression and the survival of glioma patients. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8), colony formation, and immunoblot assays were used to detect the role of PCOLCE on cell proliferation in glioma. Furthermore, the in vivo role of PCOLCE was investigated using a subcutaneous glioma xenograft model.

Results: The expression of PCOLCE was higher in grade III and IV gliomas than in grade I and II gliomas. High PCOLCE expression was related to a remarkably worse prognosis in glioma patients. Additionally, PCOLCE downregulation impeded glioma cell proliferation. Furthermore, PCOLCE knockdown markedly abrogated p-ERK expression in glioma cells, whereas, it negligibly influenced p38 and JNK signaling.

Conclusions: These results indicate that PCOLCE is a feasible prognostic biomarker for glioma, and PCOLCE-induced activation of ERK signaling may be a pro-growth mechanism in glioma cells.