Smurf2 Gene Expression in Urinary Tract Tumors

Smurf2 and bladder cancer - research proposal summary The Smurf2 gene was recently identified as a tumor suppressor gene. It is an E3 ubiquitin ligase and carries a significant role in major cellular processes such as cell division, genomic stability, DNA repair as well as resistance to anti-tumoral drugs. Recent studies showed that in several common tumors (prostate, breast, osteosarcoma etc.), a significant decrease in the expression or activity of Smurf2 can be noted, making the cells more susceptible to malignant transformation and the tumors more aggressive and highly resistant to various medications. Bladder cancer is no. 4 cancer in men and 6 in women, and a major cause of cancer related death. Common risk factors are smoking and occupational exposure to aniline dyes or aromatic amines. Its' most common presentation is painless hematuria. Once the diagnosis of a bladder tumor is made, endoscopic resection of the tumors is performed. Superficial tumors of low malignancy may be treated by repeated resections, highly malignant tumors require additional therapy and aggressive tumors invading the bladder muscle layer require radical surgery and chemo-radiotherapy. Therefore, all patients are closely monitored by repeated cystoscopies (endoscopic inspection of the bladder), each 3 months, lifelong. In an effort to minimize patients' discomfort, there is a constant search for a reliable biomarker in the urine of patients. A marker with good sensitivity and specificity will predict in a noninvasive fashion early recurrence or absence of bladder tumors, sparing the need for invasive cystoscopy. The presence of a biomarker may be used as prognostic factor or a measure of response to therapy. The aim of this research is to characterize the presence of smurf2 in bladder tumors and determine whether it may be utilized as a reliable biomarker for bladder cancer.