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Review
. 2015 Jun 1;563(2):109-14.
doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2015.03.061. Epub 2015 Apr 1.

Class III β-tubulin in normal and cancer tissues

Marisa Mariani  1 , Roshan Karki  1 , Manuela Spennato  1 , Deep Pandya  1 , Shiquan He  1 , Mirko Andreoli  1 , Paul Fiedler  1 , Cristiano Ferlini  2
Affiliations
Review

Class III β-tubulin in normal and cancer tissues

Marisa Mariani et al. Gene. .

Abstract

Microtubules are polymeric structures composed of tubulin subunits. Each subunit consists of a heterodimer of α- and β-tubulin. At least seven β-tubulin isotypes, or classes, have been identified in human cells, and constitutive isotype expression appears to be tissue specific. Class III β-tubulin (βIII-tubulin) expression is normally confined to testes and tissues derived from neural cristae. However, its expression can be induced in other tissues, both normal and neoplastic, subjected to a toxic microenvironment characterized by hypoxia and poor nutrient supply. In this review, we will summarize the mechanisms underlying βIII-tubulin constitutive and induced expression. We will also illustrate its capacity to serve as a biomarker of neural commitment in normal tissues and as a pure prognostic biomarker in cancer patients.

Keywords: Biomarker; Cancer; Neural differentiation; TUBB3; βIII-Tubulin.

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Figures

Fig. 1:
Fig. 1:
Representative multiplexed fluorescent immunohistochemistry of a high grade serous ovarian cancer case stained with anti-TUBB3. In blue cells nuclei stained with DAPI; in green stromal cells stained with anti-vimentin; in yellow epithelial cancer cells stained with anti-cytokeratin; in pink TUBB3 expression stained with anti-TUBB3 (clone TUJ1). TUJ1 pattern of staining is cytoplasmic and as in this case is often heterogeneous within the cancer cell population in high grade serous ovarian.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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